New Year, New Me: I Forgive You
Luella had just given birth to our second son, and we had no means of paying the medical bill. I was the pastor of a little church, and they were struggling to pay us. On top of that, we had encountered unexpected auto and home expenses. Times were so tough back then that we wondered if we would have sufficient food for our children to eat.
The phone rang and I knew it was the hospital. I didn’t want to answer, trying to avoid talking with the billing department or some collections agency that would communicate threats and guilt. But I answered, because at least I knew that they couldn’t repossess our infant son!
To my surprise, the caller’s voice was friendly. She said, “We have an assistance program for families like yours, and we reviewed your eligibility, and you qualify. We’re going to cancel your debt.”
Now, we still had some minor expenses, but the massive weight had been lifted. It felt like a boulder had been lifted from my chest and I could breathe again. I can’t communicate the relief, gratitude, and joy that flooded my heart. After some celebratory weeping together, Luella and I began to realize that not only had the cancellation of the debt lifted a burden from the past, but it had changed our financial future. Now we could struggle through without the burden of this debt hanging over us every day.
Why am I telling you this story of God’s grace and provision? Well, even though I’m not the biggest believer in the power of New Year’s resolutions—because God’s mercies are new every morning, not just on January 1—as we enter 2026, I cannot think of a more essential commitment or resolution to make than canceling debts.
Or, in a word: forgiveness.
If you want to experience your healthiest relationships in the new year—whether it’s your marriage, with your children, extended family, neighbors, friendships, or relationships in the body of Christ—healthy relationships are healthy because people in those relationships find joy in canceling debts.
Yet, if you have lived with another fallen human for more than five minutes, you will know that forgiveness is not always attractive. Forgiveness is difficult and costly. It will push you to the borders of your faith. It will tempt you to fear and doubt.
However, when forgiveness is granted and debts are canceled, the return is far greater than the cost.
It seems almost too obvious to say: forgiveness is a much better way. But we have all been seduced by the power of unforgiveness. We have all used the sin of another against them. We have all acted as judge, jury, and prison warden. We have all thought we are more righteous than the other person. We are all much more skilled at identifying the sins, weaknesses, and failures of others while ignoring our own. We have all used the power of guilt to get what we want when we want it, and in so doing, have done severe damage to the delicate, fine china nature of all our relationships.
Canceling debts and offering forgiveness is the only way to live in a long-term relationship with another sinner. It is the only way to navigate through the weaknesses and failures that will inevitably mark every relationship. It is the only way to deal with hurt and disappointment. It is the only way to protect your love, build trust, and regularly reinforce that trust. It is the only way to restore hope and confidence.
I will spend the first few Wednesdays in the New Year unpacking and applying forgiveness, but as we conclude this year, let’s remember to remember.
Because when you remember, you won’t forget to forgive.
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13–14).
The comfort of forgiveness also comes with a call: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (vv. 6–7).
No one forgives more freely than the person who remembers how much they need forgiveness themselves and how much they have been forgiven.
Every single day, whether it be the first day of a new year or any other day of the year, may we never forget to ask God to give us the grace to remember our forgiveness, and the willingness to give to others what we have been given.
We are forgiven, and therefore, free to forgive!
P.S. As it is the last day of the year, please remember Paul Tripp Ministries. As a nonprofit ministry, we rely exclusively on donations to fund our gospel mission and produce free resources, such as Wednesday’s Word. If you are financially able, a gift of any amount will allow us to connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life, every day in 2026.
A Prayer for Today: Lord, thank you for the forgiveness you give to me because of your grace. And God, would you please also give me the grace to remember the forgiveness you’ve granted to me because of your Son? I want to be the kind of person who gives to others what I myself have been given, so help me to be the kind of presence amongst others who witnesses the beauty of the gospel and then displays that beauty to others around me. I have been fully forgiven, so please give me the power and opportunity to forgive others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Discussion Prompt for Children
1. What is your favorite thing about forgiveness? Why do you think it’s important to forgive others who have hurt us or sinned against us? What can make it hard to forgive others?
2. Why did God send his Son to die for our sins? Why is forgiveness such an important part of our relationship with God?
Reflection Questions
1. In what ways have you seen the element of forgiveness push you to the borders of your faith? How has it helped you see and understand the heart of God in fresh ways? How has it strengthened your relationships with others?
2. How have you witnessed or experienced the power of unforgiveness in your life and in what ways has it been destructive to your relationships with others? What tempts you to withhold forgiveness from others? When you withhold it from someone who has sinned against you, how does that directly affect your relationship with God?
3. Why is forgiveness the only way to protect your love, build your trust, and regularly reinforce that trust with others? How can forgiveness strengthen your relationships, even when there has been conflict, anger, hurt, or betrayal? Why is forgiveness a picture of God’s supernatural power working within you?