It's not about me

Finding Forgiveness

This morning as I sat outside with a cup of coffee I thought about the people I love, and the struggles they find themselves in. Not that everyone doesn't have struggles at times, but I'm talking about the struggles that keep people from being able to move forward with their life and be happy.

One little thing can help them move forward, and that is forgiveness. That little word carries more power than an army; it has a deeper, long-lasting affect on people than going hungry. It's not forgiving that freezes our mind, continues to create fear, and fuels the anger burning inside.

Forgiveness doesn't mean to forget, but most people can't understand that. For every person I've heard say, "I'll never forgive him/her" I think about the emotional chains they have just bound around their self. Not forgiving binds us to the person that hurt us. Forgiveness releases us from that person or persons, and allows us to move forward in our life and be happy. The bad memories don't hold power any more, and very quickly the mind is able to focus on everything beautiful in life. Those bad experiences become a distant dream. You can still learn from those experiences without allowing yourself to drown in it. Choose the things you need to know to protect yourself in the future and understand that you never have control over someone else and their behavior. You only have control over your own actions and words.

I thought about those two people I love and still hear the anger in their voice when they call; the hurt and anxiety over something that happened more than 15 years ago is still fresh as if it happened yesterday. I want to help them, but I can't. I can only continue to love them and offer any encouragement I can, when they ask. Unless they are ready, any help is just brushed aside.

So I sent them a prayer this morning for peace. At some point we all get tired of the anger dragging us down and eventually we become anxious to release those bad memories. The more energy we give to it, the bigger, stronger and long-lasting it will be.

At some point, they will reach their breaking point and the need to let go, and then they will find forgiveness. I hope it's soon.