FORGIVENESS

First of all, I want to preface this post by saying that I am not intending to preach or profess that I know things that you have been through in your life. Having said that, I'd like to talk about forgiveness today.

We've all been there. We've done something to someone close to us that has caused hard feelings. OR, someone has done something hurtful to us and has asked for our forgiveness. If you've been slow to offer your forgiveness, you might find that if you DO forgive, it will allow you to release the hurt feelings and/or anger within yourself. And by forgiving, you are allowing another person to mend emotional wounds as well. It's important to remember that forgiving doesn't necessarily mean that you must pick up where you left off with the person you forgive. It only means that you forgive them for what they've done in the past.

 "We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love."~~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I believe in Dr. King's words. I really feel that when we forgive, we set ourselves and another free. And we open ourselves up to love.

You know this one right? The Golden Rule delivered by Jesus in the "Sermon on the Mount..."

 "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

No truer words were ever spoken in my opinion. We'd all love to be treated fairly and with love and respect. But to receive those things, we have to treat others that way too. This includes forgiveness too I think. If we do this, in my opinion, it will all come back around to us, and then some.

Again, I haven't walked in your shoes. Some people just CAN'T forgive, for whatever their reason. But I urge you to consider forgiveness if someone who cares about you has asked for it. You may just discover that by forgiving THEM, it will make YOU feel better and set YOU free.

Will Johnson

[photo by Babylon_Angel]