Forgiveness
“Talking about forgiveness, Lord, what happens if you hire someone who has the hearts, brains, attitude, skills—the complete package—and they mess up? You previously talked about people making mistakes, but where does forgiveness fit in?”
“Sam, when you read the Bible, you will notice I did not forgive anyone in the book of Genesis. I did not forgive Adam and Eve. I did not forgive Cain. I did not forgive the generation of Noah. I did not forgive the citizens of Sedom and Gemorah. One reason why I did not forgive any of these individuals is that they did not ask for forgiveness. During the Jewish high holidays my people need to vocally announce their sins and then vocally ask for forgiveness. Also, the only time I really started forgiving people is when they learned to forgive each other. That is at the end of Genesis when Joseph forgives his brothers. Once humans can forgive each other then I can forgive them. That is why the first time I forgave people was in Exodus after Moses broke the tablets due to the sin of the Golden Calf. To receive divine forgiveness, people must earn it through their actions and speech. That means they must change their actions and stop doing something that is not holy. Then they must ask me for forgiveness. That is a very difficult task and often shows people at their most vulnerable state. The truly righteous then ask forgiveness from anyone they might have harmed. To really seek true forgiveness requires a lot of work.”
Up on the screen popped up an image of my daughter asking me for forgiveness after she broke one of my bobblehead dolls. She was so sorry…and I forgave her without hesitation. She did me a favor as I did not really like that gift from a colleague.
“Sam, forgiveness is probably the most difficult task for many in the workplace. How do you forgive someone who has wronged you? Let’s say someone took your commission sale or took credit for an idea that helped get them promoted over you. I believe in the direct approach which is saying one did something wrong and then in a public manner expressing regret and promising not to do the same action again. That is not to say that some of my children do not go to great lengths to show forgiveness. Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery only when he engaged in a complex scheme to test his brothers’ resolve. Only when Judah offered to go to prison in exchange for Benjamin did Joseph see that his brothers had true remorse and he forgave them. They were still unsure if this was a temporary forgiveness, so his brothers were hesitant to truly believe they were forgiven, even making up a lie to Joseph when Jacob died to try and appease Joseph so he would not change his mind.”
“Sam, I released the Israelites from the bonds of slavery after hearing their cries. I gave them water when they cried out to me. I gave them food when they cried out to me. I gave them dry passage to escape the Egyptian pursuers when they asked. I forgave the Israelites when they made the Golden Calf. I forgave them when they slandered the Promised Land. This does not mean that I did not punish them and punish them swiftly and severely, but I did not hold a grudge and even though Moses was able to abate my initial anger, he got me to declare that I would provide forgiveness and not hold a grudge.”
“Sam, the positive deeds I have given people were never for my benefit but were often for people to show their kindness and compassion to my creatures. That includes animals, plants, people, all creatures great and small. Some rules are just rules that I created such as kosher where there might not be a human justification for them. Other rules were meant to direct behavior or shape society. Forgiveness is also something I gave to humans to help them. Through asking me and others for forgiveness a person humbles themselves. More importantly, when someone asks for forgiveness and a person responds that they have forgiven them, that is the ultimate. The forgiver stands in my position and can exonerate the offender. What power. But that power cannot be abused. If someone asks for forgiveness, the offended can reject the apology two times. After the third attempt is made, the offender will be guiltless. That is why it is so important to ask for and grant true forgiveness whenever possible.”
I knew that when I got home, I would be asking everyone for forgiveness. It is never too late.
The Lord smiled at me. He knew I would follow through with my thoughts.
