If you would like to start the New Year with a clean slate and travelling lighter, let go of the old grudges that are weighing you down. Philip Yancey describes forgiveness as ‘an unnatural act’. He says, ‘You don’t find dolphins forgiving sharks for eating their playmates. It’s a dog-eat-dog world…not dog-forgive-dog.’ Bitterness and hatred come naturally when you have been hurt. Forgiving is supernatural and requires the grace of God, but remember, Jesus said, ‘If you do not forgive…your Father will not forgive your sins’ (Matthew 6:15 NIV). Think about it – there is not one single, solitary reason God should ever forgive our sins, yet the offences He pardons us for every day far outweigh anything we will ever be asked to forgive our parents, spouses, and friends for. The Bible says forgive ‘each other…as…God forgave you’. Forgiveness opens the doors of a prison, where you are both the prisoner and the jailor. Grudges not only isolate you from people who were once friends, they shorten your life by producing deadly enzymes that contribute to a host of physical ailments. One man told his counsellor, ‘I wish my brother could come to my wedding, but we haven’t spoken in years.’ The counsellor asked, ‘How come?’ Pausing, the man replied, ‘It sounds ridiculous now, but I don’t even remember!’ Drifting apart is the natural result of an unforgiving spirit; forgiveness reverses the trend by healing broken relationships. It’s a scientific fact that forgiveness adds years to your life. As a rule, when you talk to individuals who have passed the eighty-year mark, you find they’re at peace with themselves because they have learned to forgive and let go.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.