Personal Blogs

Paid in Full

Sometimes people come into our lives who remind us that not everything in this world is negative.

This week, I had my boiler serviced. A next day, the bill arrived. But there was something unusual about it. Where I expected to see an amount owed, it simply said: Paid in Full

I contacted the engineer, assuming there had been a mistake. I told him about it, but his response was simple: “It’s a gift.”

“But I can afford to pay,” I replied.

He wasn’t having it.

During his visit, I had mentioned that I had cancer. He felt that life already presents enough challenges when someone is going through something like that, and he wanted to do something to ease the burden, even if only a little.

It was an extraordinary act of kindness, but it got me thinking about something much bigger.

Some years ago, I was in a European country where a friend of mine visited prisoners in a high-security prison. During one visit, a prisoner asked him a question that has stayed with me.

“I have taken many lives. Will God forgive me?”

We know that feeling when conscience tortures us for our smaller sins.  My friend assured him that if he was truly repentant, God would forgive him.

That is an extraordinary thought, isn’t it?

We all carry a debt. We have all fallen short. We are all sinners. Yet the Christian message is that God did not leave humanity to pay that debt ourselves.

Around two thousand years ago, Christ came into the world and gave His life for the sins of mankind.

As Paul wrote in Colossians 2:

“When you were dead in your trespasses...your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses, having cancelled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross!”

There is something profoundly beautiful in those words: He cancelled the debt.

The boiler engineer could have sent me a bill. I could have paid it. But instead, he chose to give me a gift.

And that little act of kindness became, for me, a reminder of a far greater gift.

Christ did not merely reduce our debt. He did not ask us to pay what we could and somehow make up the difference ourselves.

He paid it. And He Paid it in Full.

Firgun (Hebrew): 

The act of sharing in or even contributing to someone else's pleasure or fortune, 

with a purely unselfish heart. It is a genuine, 

selfless delight and pride in the accomplishments of others.

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Firgun and the Path to Happiness

In the lexicon of human experience, certain words transcend linguistic boundaries, embodying concepts that offer us a glimpse into the soul of a culture. "Firgun" is one such word, a Hebrew term that means the genuine joy one feels at someone else's happiness or success. This concept, while culturally specific, taps into a universal truth emphasized in the teachings of Jesus: "Love your neighbour as yourself." Yet, in my encounters with various individuals throughout my life, I've observed a stark contrast between those who embody this spirit and those who do not, particularly among those displaying sociopathic tendencies.

Firgun is not merely an act of passive benevolence but an active engagement in celebrating others without envy or self-interest. It's a concept that feels at home in the teachings of Jesus, who championed love, compassion, and empathy towards all. The failure to practice love in this way, especially when it morphs into sociopathic indifference, reveals a troubling pathway toward isolation and unhappiness.

My reflections on firgun and its absence in certain individuals lead me back to life's encounters with those whose behaviours skewed towards sociopathy—a pattern marked not just by a lack of empathy but by a profound self-interest that views other people's successes as threats or non-events. These individuals displayed a chilling detachment from the joys and sorrows of others, encapsulating a life approach antithetical to firgun.

One might argue that sociopathy is an inborn trait, a wiring of the brain that deviates from the norm. However, the behaviours stemming from this lack can often be observed as choices—choices to ignore the happiness of others, choices to manipulate for self-gain, and choices that inevitably lead to relational ruins. The lack of sharing in the happiness of others, correlates strongly with the unhappy outcomes I've witnessed in these lives. Without the capacity or the will to engage in the joy of others, their world becomes a smaller, self-contained echo chamber of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment.

Contrast this with those who practice kindness. These individuals seem to live in a richer, more expansive world—a world where others' victories are celebrated as if they were their own. This worldview not only fosters a positive external environment but also cultivates an internal sense of peace and contentment. There is a profound psychological benefit to this practice, echoing the Christian ideal of loving and valuing others genuinely. The outward expression of firgun often returns to the giver, multiplied and enriched.

From a personal standpoint, embracing this quality has been transformative. Over time, inspired by biblical teachings and the selfless examples of those around me, I began to practice this quality, initially as a discipline, then as a heartfelt approach to life. The change was palpable: relationships deepened, my community ties strengthened, and a profound sense of happiness and fulfilment replaced the hollow echo of my previous discontent.

In conclusion, the spirit of firgun and the teachings of Jesus converge on a fundamental truth about human behaviour: we are designed to live in community, to share in each other's joys, and to love our neighbours wholeheartedly. My experiences have shown me that those who reject this path, especially out of sociopathic inclinations, find themselves walking a lonely road, marked by relational failures and personal despair. In contrast, those who embrace the joy of others discover a life marked by fulfilment and deep, lasting happiness. In the end, it is is not just a word but a way of life, offering a path that aligns closely with the wisdom of loving one's neighbour—an endeavour that, when embraced, leads to the richest of human experiences.