Can forgiveness change your future?

As you study the dog’s face, what is he communicating?

What do you think? Can forgiveness change your future?

Jesus thinks so. In fact, He says so.

I’m experimenting, and I’m looking for more evidence of what Jesus says about future change through forgiveness.. I’m not doubting what He says, I just want to see and document more of it. Will you help? Send me your story of how forgiveness has changed circumstances if you have one.

Three Specific Ways Jesus Asserts Forgiveness Changes Your Future

First. Matthew 5:14-15: For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

This well-known and oft overlooked statement makes it clear that God’s attitude and actions toward everyone stem from the fulcrum of our forgiveness of other people. Or our lack of forgiveness. That’s supernatural.

It shows one reason why some folks live in the camp of blessing and others in the wilderness. 

My parents, Rognar and June Anderson, experienced seventy-three years of happily-married life. (I’m not saying they never faced struggles. They did. One of their struggles was raising me!) 

Nevertheless, when dad was about 94 years old someone interviewed him with the classic question, “To what do you attribute your long-lasting success in marriage?” Dad’s answer: “Forgiveness.”

Forgiveness Creates More Love

Here’s a second way forgiveness changes a person. It creates more love and blessing.

Forgiveness today creates love more love tomorrow. Perhaps we can say the amount of love we have today is determined in part by the amount of forgiveness we experienced yesterday. See Luke 7:47 . . . he who is forgiven little, loves little. 

Let the converse also be true. He who is forgiven much, loves much.

Forgiveness Liberates

People are puzzled by Jesus’ words in John 20:23. But if we take them simply the way a child does, He is saying forgiveness releases a person. Just think how many husbands need to be released! (Release is what forgiveness means.) How many wives! How many wayward kids!

Forgiveness liberates. Forgiveness absolves sin through the blood of Jesus!

The man’s future in Matthew 18 was determined by his forgiveness or lack of it. Because he failed to release his coworker, he ended up in torment by the choice of the Master.

A Modern Day Example 

I once counseled a man struggling with depression and mental illness. (Let’s call him Dean.)  Life had dealt some hardships and low blows to this fellow. Primarily, his wife and family had forsaken him. It seems no relative supported him socially or emotionally. 

Dean was on the brink of suicide and had been in and out of mental hospitals. As I listened to his stories, I realized he had never forgiven his offenders. 

So the first order of business with Dean was to help him forgive. He spike words of forgiveness. The next time I saw him, he felt a little better. There  was hope.

But he still held onto anger and resentment. He claimed, “I just can’t forgive any more.” I urged him to forgive in faith. I told him he had to work ast it, even to speak aloud in private “I forgive, I forgive, I forgive.”

Perhaps I failed to impart sufficient grace to him. Perhaps Dean chose to hang on to his bitterness (the opposite of forgiveness). Whatever the reason, this man never changed. He kept saying, “I can’t forgive, I can’t forgive.” 

The final time I saw Dean, he remained depressed and was refusing to take normal responsibilities for life.

Can forgiveness change your future? Does unforgiveness affect our destiny?Sure looks like it to me.

I’m experimenting with forgiveness. I’m forgiving President Trump, who is reportedly a new convert to the Christian faith. I’m forgiving broadly. I’m forgiving others just as God in Christ has forgiven me (Ephesians 4:32).

Can forgiveness change your future?

I’m interested in your experience if you can add to this.

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash