Forgiveness is underrated and so often misunderstood.
People often think of forgiveness as an option, like turning right or left at an intersection depending upon which way one wants to go. But forgiveness is more than a choice. It’s essential to happiness and health. Without it, life can start feeling miserable.
Forgiveness is the ability to see God’s presence in the face of evil. Forgiveness is the ability to love in the face of hatred. Forgiveness is the ability to clear one’s thought of all evil impression and to allow infinite omnipresent Love to take over consciousness and dominate. Forgiveness is the ability to be spiritually minded. Forgiveness is critical to heal through prayer.
Without forgiveness, the human mind harbors evil thoughts toward its neighbor when events are troubling. It dwells on a spiritually impoverished level of fear, complaint, resentment, ill-will, ruminating over sin, even hatred and revenge.
Forgiveness is not for the other person. It’s for us. It is a key to keeping thought free of evil’s control and the route to staying in touch with God.
Forgiveness does not overlook evil. It disempowers it.
Forgiveness is not weakness. It is strength.
Forgiveness is not naiveté and ignorance. It is wisdom and intelligence.
Pride, ego and selfishness rebel against forgiveness, but these are evils that we must part with too. Humility, generosity, loving unselfishly, infinite patience, and the ability to go the second mile…again and again and again…are the pathway to heaven. The human ego is too big to get through heaven’s door. It has to be left behind.
Peter asked Jesus how often one should forgive. What’s the maximum limit? He wanted to know.
“Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” Matthew 18:21-22, NLT.
“Seventy times seven” means an infinite number of times. You simply never stop forgiving. It’s never a matter of whether you forgive or not. You always do. Period! No more discussion. Forgiveness is the one option. There is no other.
So, enjoy forgiving all your enemies today and letting all grudges go…forever. You will be much happier and healthier.
The loveliest thing I’ve ever read about forgiveness, Evan. I loved your comment about the human ego being too big to fit through heaven’s door. Started my very early morning off with a big laugh! So many gems in this, thank you as always, for starting my day off beautifully!
Thanks Evan. All along for about 50 or more years I’ve always thought that to forgive is an option and difficult to do. But these years I’ve learned that as you said “It’s never a matter of whether you forgive or not. Forgiveness is the one option.” Also I have learned that while we can learn to forgive the individual, it doesn’t mean we also forgive or let alone the wrong or evil done. Every evil done has to be corrected by God’s law, Principle and yet it is possible to see in Science that the man that only is, is the man imaging God’s goodness, purity and so forth. Christ Jesus did forgive easily by seeing the perfect man of God’s creating but he told people he healed to “go and sin no more”.
Forgiveness is living a life of peace and love. Today’s comments by Evan is definitely ‘food for thought’ that can bring peace, harmony and healing.
Forgiveness can be a work in progress for some of us with our own issues, but God knows the motives of our hearts and minds.
Prayerfully we can do all things through Christ Jesus, and this includes being able to forgive – and also to ask for forgiveness!
Did not our dear Lord and Savior first forgive ( wash at the river – channel of thought ) in order to demonstrate so fully the power of Love, to instantaneously heal or cleanse? We, too, may do the same, if we are willing to follow His way.
Forgiveness clears the air. bless one, bless us all. I now know it is not an option.
What a wonderful reminder . . . at times I find it difficult to see someone I love being critical and mean spirited toward people of differing beliefs. Hummm, of course I can now just know my only purpose in this situation is to forgive and apply all of those thoughts provided in today’s SpiritView. Thank you.
Thank you Evan.
I wonder why C. S. Lewis wrote:
“Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea, until he has something to forgive.”
🙂
Thanks so much! Just what I needed today. Loved sharing with friends.
Wonderful message. I must share this with my friends.
Beautifully stated. Thanks so much for this reminder of the importance of forgiveness.
Thank you, Evan! This is pure Gold! A lot of us have thought Forgiveness was a Human Thing to do……or not to do! I have found, in my human struggles, that I have had to ask God for help to forgive. And I know that Jesus, on the cross, said, “Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do.”!! Thanks again……this is soooooo Good and Helpful for me!
Yes to all of above, but God doesn’t want his children to stay in an abusive situation either. After one forgives the same offense many times, it might be time to walk away and work on forgiveness from a distance!
Thank you Evan, very helpful.
Forgiveness is wrongly thought as “Some one made a great mistake. I can’t chastise for that.” That’s not forgiveness. Correcting is a form of forgiveness also, and a very important one.
I might forgive an employee for a life threatening mistake and keep him on, never pointing it out to him. Then he makes the same mistake with some other employer that sees to it that he isuffers in prison for that same mistake. Not pointing out a mistake is the same as taking revenge which is a sin against God’s goodness, or Love itself.
Thank you! Loved this! You’ve empowered us with understanding of how and why we need to forgive. It’s priceless, succinct, and empowering, thank you!