Forgiveness

I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.

Booker T. Washington

          FORGIVENESS is an act of the heart.  It doesn’t depend on anyone else.  It is not pardoning unacceptable behavior.  It does not mean you have to become friends with the person who hurt you.  It is an act of freeing OURSELVES from a past hurt.  When we hold resentment against someone, we are bound to that person.

          One of the most wonderful spiritual practices we can develop is to release.  If we hold on to anger and pain, we make ourselves sick.  When we learn to release the hurt we are able to move on with our lives.  It is ironic that in many situations the person we are upset with doesn’t know that they are the object of our bitterness.

          There are a lot of us holding on to our pain.  Perhaps the next time someone hurts you in some way, rather than seeing that person as purposefully being hurtful, see them as being wounded.  Know they would not hurt you unless they are also hurting in some way; when you can do that, forgiveness becomes easier. 

As you forgive and move on, your load will become much lightner.