Today, I received this in my email.
Focus for today
April 15, 2018Forgive the hurts you have received.
Pardonner les offenses reçues.
Perdonare le offese ricevute.“We often pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ Therefore let us love our enemies! Only by doing this can we heal disunity, break down barriers and build
the Christian communitya better world regardless of one’s faith.
This is one of those tough questions in life.
I ask myself: How does one forgive?
I read too many policies and procedures, be a servant leader, an activist.
As a thinker of ethics, philosophy, logic, statues of law; a so-called Christian; how can one apply this in daily life?
DAMN!
I changed it to suit my character of what I am not so much of who I am and hope that others will be able to relate to it.
I will be interested in your opinion.
Carrying those hurts around is counterproductive, and the power of forgiveness is certainly not exclusive to Christianity. Buddhism, for instance, comes to mind. : )
Thank you, Paula.
Wang An Shi (1021-1086) was a Chinese poet. One windy day while he was walking in the yard, a roof tile fell and hit his head. He wrote a poem saying something like “the wind blows hard on the roof tiles; one tile falls and hit my head; I don’t blame the tile; the tile is not free”. (Sorry, not a great translation. it’s difficult to translate Chinese poems.)
I like to think of this poem when I felt hurt. I believe there are reasons we are who we are; some we can control; some we can’t. In a way, we are not “free” either.
Hope you understand what I am trying to say. Have a great day.
Sounds very Confucius or Zen. None of us are free, I suppose that’s how jail were built 😳
Forgiveness requires that we, too, realize that we are subject to weakness which justifies forgiveness. We must know our own weakness. If we do not forgive p, we do not enter Heaven; we wait in purgatory instead, as does the unforgiven, awaiting the final Judgement. But, if we forgive, then we release the offender to make a choice – repent and atone and seek God’s Mercy or reject these and go anywhere but where God is [Hell]. Forgiving is the ultimate act of humility and of the realization of our total dependence on God to keep us strong and alive in Him.
“Father, forgive them. For, they know not what they do.”
Francis Philip, an honour to read your words of wisdom of Jesus. Thank you. Forgive 7×7.
The more I accept my own numerous shortcomings, the easier I find it to forgive others. I did have to start with self reflection rather than starting with forgiving others.
Reflection, indeed. Thank you.