An analysis of the results of an annual survey conducted by the American Bible Society (ABS) concluded that the willingness to forgive others is a key to happiness, CBN reports.

One of Jesus’ strongest admonitions involves forgiving others who have hurt or offended us.

For Christians, it is not an option we can blissfully ignore. Jesus warned, “But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses” (Matthew 5:46).

An unwillingness to forgive is ultimately a slap in the face for what God has done for us. In some sense, it suggests that we don’t fully understand or haven’t fully embraced the forgiveness that God has extended and in that sense, it is a rejection of God’s mercy.

But aside from this, an unwillingness to forgive can profoundly impact our emotional well-being.

In its State of the Bible USA 2024 Report, ABS asked people to agree or disagree with the following statement, “I am able to sincerely forgive whatever someone else has done to me, regardless of whether they ever ask for forgiveness or not.”

How willing were people to unreservedly forgive those who had hurt them, even if they had not apologized for the harm they caused? Forgiving others has nothing to do with the offending person’s response. It is solely our responsibility.

The study found that there was a noticeable difference between those who were unconditionally willing to forgive and those who weren’t.

“People who agreed most strongly with that forgiveness statement scored significantly higher than others in Human Flourishing and Hope Agency,” the ABS report concluded. “People who disagreed scored lower.”

The survey found that those who agreed with the statement and were willing to forgive others scored two points higher (7.6 vs 5.4) on the happiness scale.

I will never forget the testimony of Corrie Ten Boom, who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II after her family was arrested for helping Jews escape the holocaust.

Though Corrie was eventually released through a procedural error, she watched her sister, Betsy, die inside that brutal camp.

After the war, Corrie traveled across Europe telling people they needed to forgive the Nazis who caused such death and destruction.

She also worked with those who had been imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps, and she noticed one common denominator among the survivors. Those who forgave their captors rebuilt their lives and moved on.

Those who refused, remained trapped in these Nazi concentration camps, even though they were free.

They remained perpetual victims.

Source:

• “Learning to Forgive”, by Corrie Ten Boom (Guideposts Magazine: 1972