MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2024 - NATIONAL DAY OF FORGIVENESS AND HAPPINESS!!

 MONDAY, OCTOBER 7TH, 2024 FORGIVENESS

NATIONAL DAY OF FORGIVENESS AND HAPPINESS 

The link says, “National Forgiveness & Happiness Day on October 7 is a day that celebrates forgiveness and the amount of happiness it can bring to one’s life. While many people hold on to grudges and fantasize about revenge, studies have revealed that the best way to heal is actually to forgive the person who hurt you. And no, forgiving someone does not make you weak. Instead, it contributes to creating a much more successful and happy you. This National Forgiveness & Happiness Day, fill your heart with the light of love and practice the art of forgiveness. It will be the best decision you have made all year!”

Mental health
Grudges can lead to depression, anxiety, irritability, and feelings of hopelessness and emptiness. They can also make you more likely to fixate on revenge, leading to destructive behavior. 

Physical health
Grudges can increase stress levels, leading to high blood pressure, heart problems, and weakened immunity. 

Relationships
Grudges can make it difficult to maintain connections with others and bring anger and bitterness into new relationships. 

Quality of life
Grudges can negatively affect your quality of life and make it difficult to enjoy the present. 

Forgiveness can help you release toxicity and develop a more responsive mindset. It can also help your immune system function more efficiently and make room for feel-good hormones. 

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Over my 77 years, I have carried many grudges - many for stupid and vapid reasons.  

I carried a grudge at an insurance man before Becky was born who didn’t tell us our health insurance didn’t cover labor and delivery fees.  (Thanks, Toni and Jay, for helping us out of that situation).  And, yes, it was my stupidity that was at fault.

I carried a grudge against some people down the block who took ten months to get license plates for Connecticut.  (Didn’t they know that license plates are required for residents’ cars?  That was really stupid on my part.  (Of course, that kind of goes back to South Dakota, where I was pulled over by a cop for drinking with out-of-state plates after three weeks in the state (and I promptly got appropriate plates). 

Plus, being judgmental - LGBTQ people were wrong, and I wanted to get rid of them. Non-Christians were going to hell, and more such idiotic thoughts. (Who am I to be the “Judge”???)

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

(other translations say 70 times 7 times - in effect, there is NO LIMIT on forgiving others.

I have a friend who insists she will NOT EVER forgive her stepfather, who sexually abused her.  

Matthew 6:14-15

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins". 

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they are doing.”

Stephen (Acts 7:60) says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 

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As the National Day of Forgiveness and Happiness says: 

“The best way to heal is to forgive the person who hurt you. And no, forgiving someone does not make you weak. Instead, it contributes to creating a much more successful and happy you. This National Forgiveness & Happiness Day, fill your heart with the light of love and practice the art of forgiveness. It will be the best decision you have made all year!”

Forgiveness is an act of agape love.  (To err is human, to forgive divine)

Forgiveness helps us to be better people - to transform us!!!

Karen Anne White, October 7, 2024