To teach students the importance of forgiveness, a teacher told students to bring to class a sturdy plastic bag and a sack of potatoes. The teacher then told each student to take a potato for each person s/he had refused to forgive over the years, write the name of that person on the potato and put it in the plastic bag. The students were told to carry that bag with them everywhere they went for a week—and even put it beside their bed when they went to sleep each night. In this way, the teacher taught students, the heavy price we pay for refusing to forgive and carrying around our anger, frustration, negativity and bitterness toward those who have hurt or injured us,
A December 6, 2017 article in the Huffington Post cites 8 ways which the medical profession says practicing forgiveness is good for the forgiver’s health Among the benefits mentioned are a longer lifespan, lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system and a lower stress level. (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/forgiveness-health-benefits_n_6029736)
Beyond the physical benefits of forgiving someone there are the spiritual benefits. If we forgive others for the harms and hurts (physical and emotional) that they inflicted on us, God will forgive us for the harms and hurts we have inflicted on others—including Him. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Nevertheless, practicing forgiveness is often challenging and may take some time and patience to accomplish. So how might we foster our own ability to forgive and encourage others to forgive?
- Forgiveness is a choice we make, so be conscious of the choices you make when you are hurt by or angry at someone.
- Recognize that it may at times take a while to forgive someone. Be patient and keep trying.
- Take time to read about and learn from those who have modelled forgiveness. There are many stories of people in the Bible who forgave those who offended them: Esau and Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, Job and his friends. And of course, Jesus who forgave those who crucified him.
- Search for stories of modern-day people who have practiced forgiveness. Here is one place you can look: Ten of The Most Inspiring Stories Of Forgiveness You'll Ever Hear (theverybesttop10.com)
- Model forgiveness in your own life so that others can learn from you.
As the New Year approaches, make a resolution to forgive those who have harmed, hurt or offended you and have a Happy New Year.