{"id":15202,"date":"2015-11-09T13:07:02","date_gmt":"2015-11-09T19:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flovalleynews.com\/?p=15202"},"modified":"2015-11-09T13:07:02","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T19:07:02","slug":"forgiveness-favors-the-forgiver-as-well-as-the-forgiven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=15202","title":{"rendered":"Forgiveness Favors the Forgiver as well as the Forgiven"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Boomer’s Journal<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"Tom<\/a>By Tom Anselm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/b>\u00a0<\/strong>There are some universal truths that we all can adhere to on our journey. Love is better than hate, at all times. The sun will come out tomorrow, despite the forecast. The Cubs will never, ever win the World Series. Another is that we all, each and every darn one of us, have been wronged by someone at some point in our lives. Maybe it was a teacher, or a coach, or a spouse. It could have been a boss, or a friend, or our very own child. It could have been the guy who slammed your bumper in the parking lot and weaseled off into the darkness. Being wronged happens, and will continue to happen, as long as we continue to draw breath.<\/p>\n

The question floating around in my noodle these fine fall days is just how I should respond to this truth. In a moment that has been coming for some time, I realize I have some grudges that I need to resolve. Go on the \u2018interwebs\u2019 and you can get tons of helpful hints on how holding a grudge is unhealthy, spikes your BP, produces stress in the brains chemical composition that mirrors anger. There are plenty of \u201cTop Ten Ways to Forgive\u201d, and \u201cTwelve Best Forgiveness Songs.\u201d I didn\u2019t see it, but if I had kept searching, I am sure I would have found \u201cThe Top Five Ways for You to Forgive, Tom\u201d, accompanied by an offer for the \u201cTwelve Best Forgiveness Songs, yours for just three easy payments of only $19.99.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was listening to my little Sony transistor this morning waiting for my Extra-Strength Excedrin to kick in (better than coffee, and helpful to the arthritic joints, as well.) A guy on a Christian station was preaching about, you guessed it, forgiveness. Funny how things like this seem to jump into your life at just the right time. He used the New Testament parable of the landowner whose steward owed him a ton of talents. He said a talent was like a years wages, and this guys chances of paying this off were as good as the Rams staying in St. Louis. (He really didn\u2019t say that last part\u2026 that\u2019s just my editorial comment. But you get the idea\u2026 his chances were pretty slim.) So this debtor begged and cried for forgiveness and the owner was so moved that he let him off the hook. Then, as you most likely know, this same guy went off and throttled another servant who owed him like $12.50. The owner heard of this and had the first guy thrown in the hoosecaw for the rest of his born days.<\/p>\n

And so, wow, I thought. Here I am, wanting to get forgiveness when that time comes for My Final Reckoning, but I can\u2019t let go of my little grudges. I was no better than the ungrateful steward. The lesson here was, if you expect mercy, you must show forgiveness. I know in my head that this is how I am being called to act. But today, this morning, I realized that I need to come to know this in my heart.<\/p>\n

Ghandi said \u201cThe weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.\u201d I want to be that strong guy. A prayer we all know says \u201cforgive us our trespasses as we\u2026\u201d Well, you know the rest. Everytime I get to that part, I know I am less than I should be. I need to metaphorically lock these grudges in a metaphoric drawer, throw the metaphoric key in the deepest metaphoric lake. I know those bad feelings are there, and I will likely never forget them, but I can\u2019t let them out. I have to move on, and keep that drawer shut. Metaphorically speaking, of course. It\u2019s like one of my more worldly female students said a few years ago when talking about a complaint I had voiced about something or other.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just gotta L.I.G., Mr. A. Let. It. Go. Dang, don\u2019t do nobody no good to worry it out. Just L.I.G.\u201d A philosopher, she was. Jesus, The Lords Prayer, Ghandi, Miss Pink Fingernails\u2026 good leads to follow, all.<\/p>\n

Some 12-Step programs have a saying: \u201cWhen you hold a grudge against someone, it\u2019s like that person lives rent-free in your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

All well and good, you know. But how do you start clearing out that room in the old noggin? I guess you just resolve to do it.<\/p>\n

So, here goes. Call it a \u201cwork in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep you posted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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