Forgiveness – An Eternity Perspective

“When you forgive, you in no way change the past—but you sure do change the future.”

~Bernard Meltzer

Forgiveness is a future concept. It is also about regret. For every single person that has mastered the art of forgiveness in one important relationship, there would be literally a thousand and more who have missed their opportunities. Many of these missed opportunities have contributed to a later lifetime of pain.

Forgiveness is a near and present option we all have.

There are grudges we hold against certain people—and all of us do—and our opportunity to make things right is now. Furthermore, we hold grudges even against ourselves. When will we identify these past issues of dissonance, put them to bed, and pave for ourselves a freshly hopeful future?

Dealing With Our Generational Faults of Manufacture

Most of our grudges against others occur because of conflicts of personality within the family or within the workplace. These dynamics have existed for generations and will continue to recur through succeeding generations long after we have gone. It stands to reason that we do not need to make the same mistakes others before us have, or those that will come after us—if they should so choose.

Our faults of manufacture are not God’s fault. They are the fault of our pride.

We have available to us the opportunity to overcome our pride; to loosen the quiet grip of anger which prevents us from reconciling broken situations.

We may have had parents and grandparents and great grandparents who struggled to forgive, many of whom may have gone to their graves not having reconciled. It doesn’t have to be that way with us. If we wrangle with our faults of familial manufacture—the ways we have been built—and we expose them to truth—we, and our present loved ones and colleagues, stand to benefit greatly. And regrets are circumvented.

Doing Now What Only Now We Can

There are so many things we can only do now whilst we have the chance.

The importance of this principle can never be understated. We assume life will continue on the trajectory it is indefinitely, even though we know death comes to us all. Still, we put off and we put off and we put off. And though grace works through time to give us plenty of chances typically, we just never know when all those chances might dry up, suddenly. And sudden that transition is!

We are wise to do now what only now we can do. Before eternity intercedes, and we never know when it will, let us forgive; before it’s too late.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.