Forgiving Isn’t the End: Continuous Blessings -

You have forgiven; now what?

You have downloaded the Forgiveness App and are now a Master of Forgiving. It is habitual; you are forgiving all the time.

Now, what comes next? What happens after forgiving when things come back to mind?

Case #1

Imagine a past resentment. You have applied the Forgiveness App to the person. The incident in question is now behind you. You are released.

But the release is temporary.

You wake up in the middle of the night, recalling what the person did to you. The old feelings come back. You cannot get back to sleep. Quick, what do you do?

You bless them. It does not need to be a long or even heartfelt blessing. I remember one of my middle-of-the-night blessings; I said, “God, you already know I don’t like this guy, but if something good must happen to him, I am okay with that. You have my permission.”

I went back to sleep.

Case #2

Another example: You see the person on the street. There is a tug of animosity as you replay the harm that she caused. It is an unconscious and immediate thought. Quick, what do you do?

You bless them. I remember one such encounter, and as the smarmy bastard approached me, all the old memories flooded back. I prayed, “God, I will need some help with this; he is still a jerk, and he is coming over. Bless him. You created him; you can bless him.”

With that grudging blessing, I relaxed. A half-smile came to my face, and I gave him a small wave; he gave a small wave back. Then he turned away from me and walked on.

Turning my mind to God and half-asking for that blessing, reset all my body language muscles, and allowed me to wave and smile politely. And we did not have to talk, which was a blessing for both of us.

Case #3

Or, you are talking with the guys, and the name of your enemy comes up. You have forgiven him, but his name has come up, and the other guys are gossiping. They don’t like him either. Quick, what do you do?

Again, this has happened to me; I got up and walked over to the coffee pot. As I poured a cup, I prayed, “God, help me here. Please, bless the guys here, forgive them for the gossip, and though the gossip is true, bless my old enemy as well.”

Then I walked back to the group. The subject had changed; I did not say a thing.

What comes next, after you have forgiven? If the person or the incident comes to mind, turn to God, bless the person, then move on.

Forgiving a person does not mean I must like him or her. I only have to love them, and Emmet Fox defines love as “an impartial sense of goodwill.” I don’t need affection, respect, or a desire to spend time with my enemies, only an impartial sense of goodwill.

What comes after forgiving? Persistent and continuous blessings.