Did you know that one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is the gift of forgiveness. Pastor Rick Warren puts it this way: “Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves that allows us to get on with our lives instead of being trapped in the past by resentment.”1 I agree with Lance Morrow when he said: “Not to forgive is to be imprisoned by the past, by old grievances that do not permit life to proceed with new business. Not to forgive is to yield oneself to another’s control… to be locked into a sequence of act and response, of outrage and revenge, tit for tat, escalating always. The present is endlessly overwhelmed and devoured by the past. Forgiveness frees the forgiver. It extracts the forgiver from someone else’s nightmare.”2
When we really understand what forgiveness is and what it is not I believe we will be much more prone to use this wonderful gift. While God expects us to forgive, forgiveness is secondarily for our own benefit because the costs of not forgiving are so high and the benefits of forgiving are so great. Jack Kornfield said it best: “Forgiveness is primarily for our own sake, so that we no longer carry the burden of resentment.”3
Among the many benefits of choosing to practice forgiveness may the following four help you to see why this gift is something I prize in my own life so highly.
First, forgiveness shows you understand what the gospel message is all about. When we consider that Jesus has forgiven us a lifetime of sins it only makes sense that we should want to extend forgiveness to those that have hurt us. Not being willing to grant forgiveness shows we haven’t fully grasped what Jesus has done for us. And the more we take time to rejoice in our own forgiveness, the quicker we will be able to forgive others.
Second, when we forgive we don’t store up the bitterness that inevitably accrues to those that won’t forgive. Forgiveness is liberating in that we don’t have hatred or bitterness in our hearts, which over time clearly will have a negative effect on one’s health.
Third, those who practice forgiveness will live longer, experience more peace and joy, and will please Jesus more, than those who won’t.
And fourth, there are serious theological ramifications to those who won’t forgive. For right after we read the Lord’s prayer in (Matthew 6) we read: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15).
My friends forgiveness is one of the greatest investments you can ever make with your thoughts and actions toward others. I challenge you to give this gift to yourself and watch how it will transform your life!
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY RICK WARREN (of 720) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
2 Quote by Lance Morrow: “Not to forgive is to be imprisoned by the past,…” (goodreads.com)