Good Morning and Happy Monday!
I hope you had a restful weekend. Some of us tend to overbook and keep so busy we forget to downshift for a bit and fill our reserves. Some don’t schedule downtime because it’s easy to trick ourselves into thinking we have to work longer and harder. After all, we do spend most of our time at home these days. Some have the right idea, though. Some protect their personal time with vigor, so they’re able to be more energetic. I think there’s great value in the latter, particularly during stressful times.
I was pondering forgiveness this past week. Forgiveness isn’t easy and takes a lot of strength and courage, both in the offering and the accepting. Some schools of thought say it’s liberating while others maintain that the act is truly impossible.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word forgive means to stop feeling anger toward someone or to overlook an offense or mistake. It’s a verb. That means there’s an intentional action taken to cancel a debt. It’s not something we do passively, but an act in which we engage our authority.
I found this quote by an unknown author that expresses forgiveness in a way I hadn’t previously considered:
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Sometimes I believe we hold onto offense to give us the illusion that our anger is justified. Unfortunately, as long as we continue to rehearse a transgression and replay it again and again, we’re never free from the confines that trap us, and that hurts our hearts. And, it seems we are equally challenged by forgiving ourselves as we are in forgiving others. We’re stuck. Whether from moving forward in the purpose of our lives or thwarting the potential for a relationship with another.
Scripture shares what Jesus has to say about forgiveness:
“Jesus said, “Forsake the habit of criticizing and judging others, and then you will not be criticized and judged in return. Don’t look at others and pronounce them guilty, and you will not experience guilty accusations yourself. Forgive over and over and you will be forgiven over and over.” Luke 6:37 (TPT)
Past mistakes shouldn’t define us. They are intended to guide us and advise us on how to do better, make better choices. We’re to give away or release our anger or claim on the issue. If we don’t, it will only cause harm, both to ourselves and others. It’s like exhaling toxins and inhaling fresh air, replacing unhelpful thoughts with those that are edifying, exchanging torment for peace.
Who do you need to forgive? Whether yourself or another, maybe it’s time to let go and allow space for healing to begin. It doesn’t necessarily mean reconciliation because sometimes that’s a dangerous prospect. It does mean that you take away the power of the circumstance over you and regain the power to choose a path of loving-kindness and peace.
Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda
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