Forgiveness

Cousin to Generosity and Gratitude

“Invited to Peace” oil pastel by Myra Alibrando

Connected Overlap

There are things that connect that are usually not so obvious. 

Such is the case with forgiveness, generosity, gratitude, and a potentially brighter future. These guys are cousins. 

Someone liberal with their money and time are willing to give to others what they themselves earned. They are generous. By contrast, a stingy person typically can justify why they do not share explaining how others are not entitled to their money. 

Gratitude

Gratitude is being thankful. For most of us, maybe all of us, if we made a thorough list of every single bad thing in our life and then did an exhaustive list of every good thing in our and genuinely omitted nothing, our good list is much, much longer. And ungrateful person might omit things and say something like "everybody has that" and again justifies why they don't need to be grateful. This type also focuses on what is wrong as if this was realistic and the good things, that are just as real, is somehow not as real.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness, I have discovered, is almost as valuable as hope itself. Unforgiveness is like a poison. When we are unforgiving, it is typically seeing ourselves as more righteous and the offender as someone who has not been adequately punished for their offense. Often, there is erroneous arithmetic calculating that by forgiving we are giving them something they do not deserve. See how this is similar to the stingy person? It is as if we don't see our many offenses against God and content that Jesus innocently suffered for our offenses but those who sinned against us or against someone we love, deserves no mercy. That is wrong arithmetic. 

Gratitude

When we are grateful, we tend to be more willing to share, recognizing our abundance is not 100% a result of our power. God feeds the world. We did not die from that sickness. Someone helped us once when we needed help. We had favor to be hired at a job. Recognizing there have been times in history when the people of an entire nation lacked food or seasons of drought or war can cause hardship. How much credit can we honestly take for our abundance? This is not only honest and good calculating, it frees us from fear of lack and by sharing we demonstrate our abundance and it can be a form of worship or gratitude.

Gratitude and generosity are tightly related. Forgiveness is a type of sharing that is not related to justice. It is mercy. It is also generous. It is also a type of worship to God in thanks for His generosity toward our sin. God was willing to forgive us before we ever asked for it. 

Forgiveness is More than a Good Idea

Forgiveness is so critical to the Christian life, that Jesus said those who do not forgive will themselves not be forgiven. 

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

Are you sure this scripture does not contradict what you believe? We must all be very careful to not have beliefs that contradict the Bible.

God’s Advice is the Best

There is another scripture that says that His commandments are always, that means 100%, for our good. So, forgiveness is good for us. It releases us from bitterness, hypocrisy, stinginess, and frankly, it releases us from thinking too much about that person we want to be deprived of forgiveness.

There are many, many scriptures in the old testament declaring obedience will activate blessing and just as surely, disobedience will trigger curses. 

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— Deuteronomy 11:26 

Is it sad that when psychological research confirms the Word, that we then take the Word more seriously? I still like the confirmations, and they are abundant. Unforgiveness brings stress and stress brings illness and a shorter life. Read Deuteronomy 6 as God promises benefits and longer life.

All those positive, healthy chemicals released like endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin are very restricted when we are bitter, angry, or resentful. If it becomes a lifestyle, it ruins us. God wants you free of this curse and has the path to journey to freedom. Forgiveness, generosity, gratitude . . . and the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. Folks these are not things we want to avoid. This is health and happiness despite a depraved world.

Be curious enough to test God’s promises that I consider too good to ignore.

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