Must I pay my friend money so she can forgive me?
Question:
I want to enquire if it's right to pay money to a friend who claims I offended her. I didn't borrow anything from her, but she is demanding money so she can forgive me.
Answer:
"There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want" (Proverbs 11:24).
This person is an extortioner, not a friend.
Forgiveness is releasing someone from a debt owed. It does not involve creating additional debt. If she demands money before saying she will forgive you, then her word has no value. You offered your apology. It is now up to her whether she decides to forgive or not. Regardless of her decision, you have done what God wants you to do. She will have done what God wants her to do only when she forgives (Matthew 6:14-15).
Question:
Thank you for your reply. She has hurt me so much. I sometimes feel depressed when I remember her.
Answer:
It sounds to me that it is she who should be asking you for forgiveness. Don't let the wicked control your life.
