a kingdom built of seeds

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Oh, forgiveness. One of the most difficult asks for humankind.

You know. Who is it impossible to forgive? “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Are we forgiven only as we forgive? Do we forgive because we’re forgiven, or are we forgiven because we forgive? A mystery.

It causes me discomfort, knowing my choice to give or withhold forgiveness holds so much power. That my own forgiveness may be conditional, dependent upon my forgiveness of others, repentant or not. How I use my freedom and agency is a responsibility only I can answer for. I either forgive, or I do not.

Forgiveness can change the world. It already has. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” No one is excluded.

Even the smallest resentment will grow into a poison that eventually kills us. Unforgiveness is drinking the poison you intend for another. You can’t escape the aftermath.

Forgiveness is not forgetting; it is not letting evildoers off the hook; it is not turning a blind eye to injustice; it is not winking at wrongs; it is not the absence of necessary boundaries to protect ourselves and others, especially the vulnerable. But it is relinquishing the outcome. It is placing justice in better hands.

Pour out the poison you prepare for your enemy. If you don’t, it will end up inside you.

Forgive. Again and again and again. “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Meaning, always. It’s non-negotiable.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

Are there more difficult commands? They signal the end of the ego.

Teach us to forgive; forgiveness will change the world.

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