March 13, 2026
The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living noted five characteristics of people who lived relatively well-adjusted. And they dovetail with Christianity quite nicely. The fifth of the characteristics is Forgiveness. Forgiveness should never be confused with forgetting – some things are impossible to forget. Forgiveness does not mean saying that what the others did was OK – if it was OK it wouldn’t need to be forgiven. Forgiveness doesn’t mean waiting for the offending party to repent – that is unfortunately exceedingly rare. It means that the offense will not rule me. I asked a concentration camp survivor how he could be so gracious after all the suffering heaped on him and his family. He said, “I’ve seen what hate can do – I’d never wish that on anybody.” When we don’t forgive we become trapped in a moment in the past and the trespass becomes perpetually repeated and destroys the now and the future. It is by no means easy, to forgive, but it is easier than carrying the resentment.
Let Us Pray: Father in Heaven, as you have forgiven us help us to forgive. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.