This parable brings to light the connection between gratefulness and forgiveness (love) for neighbor. When we neglect to reflect and be thankful for our own life and experiences, we often try to make a neighbor's loss our gain in an attempt to fill the void only deep gratitude can fill. When we look at life from a perspective of scarcity (they must lose in order for me to win), love for our neighbor becomes malnourished and eventually dies. When our attitude and posture toward each other begins with reflection on the abundance of God's presence in our lives (and the life of the world), we begin to see that our relationship with our neighbor is built on a foundation of infinite abundance and not of exhaustible scarcity. There is no beginning and no end to the amount of love accessible through the act of forgiveness.

As you encounter those around you today, ask God to open your eyes to gratefulness that leads to an infinite abundance of neighbor-loving forgiveness.

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Tomorrow on the Daily Connection: Who Is My Neighbor?

About the Author
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC