Forgiving is Practical and Spiritual

At first, I thought my multi-tool was a pair of pliers. But it had hidden aspects and applications I discovered when I used the tool in daily life.

Forgiving was like my multi-tool. The first impression was that it was a spiritual tool, but other aspects and applications became apparent with use.

My first impression was a reasonable presumption. Religious and spiritual traditions focus on the duty to forgive and the rewards of forgiving. It was and is commonly regarded as a spiritual tool.

For example, Christianity is all about forgiveness. In the Lord’s Prayer, we agree to be forgiven for our sins as we forgive others. In the New Testament, we are commanded to forgive seventy times seven. And by accepting Christ, our sins are forgiven.

Christianity is not an outlier; other traditions hold the same views.

The great Eastern traditions instruct forgiveness for spiritual growth and progress.

In Islam, forgiveness is mandated, and there is a reward; the Prophet said, “Whoever suffers an injury and forgives, Allah will raise his status to a higher degree and remove one of his sins.”

Forgiving is a spiritual command to be obeyed. And people who forgive are promised spiritual rewards: greater peace, serenity, a deeper, more meaningful connection to their Higher Power, and a better afterlife.

The first impression; forgiving is a spiritual tool.

But like my multi-tool, there is more. Hiding beneath the first impression are many practical aspects and applications.

Applications like, people who forgive are more efficient and productive. When I forgive, all the time and energy spent stewing about past resentments is liberated. If I total all the time I have wasted with deep-seated anger and irritation, there are enough hours to write a sequel to ‘War and Peace.’

Aspects like, when I forgive, emotional states that would otherwise beset me are cleared away. The fog of anger and resentment evaporates, and I see the world and its people more clearly. Because I see the world better, I make better decisions.

The benefits of forgiving include a focus dividend: the added time and energy saved by forgiving, combined with the enhanced discernment of the world around me, increases my ability to concentrate by orders of magnitude.

And I began to see that the overall effect of habitual forgiving was a marked increase in intelligence and intellectual horsepower.

Forgiving is like my multi-tool; there is a first impression, then hidden values are revealed when I use it.

I received spiritual rewards, and collaterally, I became more productive, efficient and made better decisions.

A plethora of benefits from one simple tool, spiritual and practical. What could be better?