I was thinking this morning about forgiveness. It often seems like something we offer to each other after an insult, some horrible mis-communication, or some hurtful thing has been passed between two people. But this morning, as I considered it, it seemed like much more.
First I thought about how forgiveness is something we must accept for ourselves in order to be healthy. Can't we grow so easily burdened by guilt? How many individuals feel unworthy of being loved in life--by anyone, much less by God! And yet, it is not until we accept forgiveness for whatever we are and however we live that we can begin to be strong enough to forgive others.
Then I thought about how a person can actually learn to approach life with an attitude of forgiveness. When someone says something that might be taken badly, we can learn to think to ourselves: What might they have meant? Or, how might they have meant it? If they were surely being hurtful, then why? What was it about their day today, or their situation right now, or perhaps the life that has been given them, that may have made them react the way they did? We can learn to build understanding into our approach to things, and grow an attitude of forgiveness for everything.
Maybe you work with customers, or have trouble with certain people you need to see too often. Try forgiving them in advance, and see if it helps. If we can learn forgiveness in everything, I wonder how the greatness of our own love for others will grow!
And this post makes it a good set this morning. Forgiveness, mercy, patience, with others and with ourselves. Give away to others what is given freely to us by God.
thanks Rick, for spending the time to share these gems with us,
love in recovery,
amanda
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do your best and God does the rest, a step at a time
For one: A old timer friend of mine that just passed, whose name is Rick also, would have said something just like this in a time in which I needed to hear this.
For Two: I was just asking myself, okay, now whose going to tell me the things that I need to hear now that he is gone. And then I read this.
You've given me the assurance of my ability for forgiveness is just.
Thank you for this. I needed it.
Julie Dene
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A Head Full of AA and a Belly Full of Alcohol does not mix. I tried.
