TODAY, WHEN I THINK ABOUT GRATITUDE, I think about forgiveness—and what God has already done for me.
A long time ago, before I came to the United States from Nigeria, a man insulted and harassed me. I had been carrying the pain from this cruelty with me for many years. Then one day, as I was praying, I heard these words: Are you grateful for what the Lord has already done for you? This man had been locked up for what he did. But I knew the question wasn't about what had become of him. It reminded me of a passage in Science and Health that says, "God is not moved by the breath of praise to do more than He has already done, nor can the infinite do less than bestow all good, since He is unchanging wisdom and Love."Science and Health, p. 2.
I realized that being really grateful meant forgiving the man and letting go of my anger and hurt. It meant being grateful for what God had already done for me, which was to give me the grace to forgive and love. I did not have to love this man on my own. I did not have to forgive him by myself. It was God—God—who was giving me this generosity of heart, this charity, this love that would allow me to forgive. Right there, right then, I started giving gratitude to God for what He had given me from the beginning—for showing me this way, for letting me see the truth about Love.
