“But by forgiving . . . I had a change of heart- I got myself back.”- Raul
June Hunt discusses the lasts four benefits experienced when we forgive as she concludes Chapter 13 of How to Forgive.
2. Forgiveness brings improved potential. Ms. Hunt states forgiveness has the power to set you free from the prisons of bitterness, anger, and revenge. Forgiveness frees you to pursue your life with renewed passion and purpose. You get yourself back. June summarizes:
“Energy spent on anger and revenge is energy lost. Forgiveness reclaims that energy and redirects it to make your life better than ever.”
3. Forgiveness leads to greater Christlikeness. Allow the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in you- joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-25).
4. Forgiveness points others to God. Forgiveness is never the same when you experience it (in practice) for yourself. Forgiveness will never again be theoretical.
5. Forgiveness brings change to the world. June beautifully explains this transformation:
“True forgiveness always begins in the privacy of a wounded heart as unseen yieldedness to God. . . . The smallest act of forgiveness radiates outward, like ripples in a pond, and can change the destructive course of families, churches, communities, and even whole societies.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood forgiveness was far more than a political strategy. In his book Strength to Love, Dr. King wrote:
“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. Whoever is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love . . .”
Today’s question: Which benefit(s) of forgiving had the most impact on you? Please share.
Coming Monday: the new Short Meditation, “Every falling tear”
Tomorrow’s blog: the latest addition to the Annotated Bibliography, How to Forgive
