Forgiveness

[sobrique]

There's magic in forgiveness.

Whether you 'do' Christmas, or whether you don't, matters little. The end of another year is as good a time to review the past as any.

Many religious books deal with the subject of forgiveness. But one thing they often miss, is that it's not the obtaining forgiveness that's important, it's the giving of it.

It's the letting go of the resentment, bitterness or loathing you hold towards other people, and most especially yourself.

Hate is a poisonous emotion, it really is. It eats away at us inside, and taints our lives by altering out perceptions.

So take a moment, to think back for grudges, wrongs and slights suffered. And take a moment to remember that everyone makes mistakes, even ourselves. Avoiding the really big mistakes is much more down to luck than wisdom.

They say "forgive and forget". Well, forgetting the past dooms you to repeat it. So say instead, forgive, and forget the pain it brought. Let that poison slip away. Let go, relax, and appreciate the good in everyone.

Comments

[myki.livejournal.com]

That's lovely. Mind if I put it on my LJ?

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

Be my guest.

[cbr-paul.livejournal.com]

I could not agree more mate, and I sincerely hope that this message finds its way into the hearts of all faiths: even from a Catholic point of view, I absolutely adore the non-spiritual yet still self-reflective stance that all people, be they Christian, Muslim, Hebrew, Hindu, Buddhist or anything else should strive to achieve. I don't give shit about people's own personal beliefs, but if they can take in the lesson of self-reflection and learn from it, I pray to God that our world will become a more tolerant and forgiving place. Happy Christmas mate, I could not have expressed it better myself!

[jorune.livejournal.com]

Luke, Chapter 11 Verse 4 New International Version

Forgive us our sins as we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

If you repeat any of the translations of the Lord's Prayer enough times you will condition yourself into accepting it and start living the message of hope that Christ brought to us.

Overcoming your own psychological weaknesses and hangups is one of more difficult tasks you can have as a person. They tend to follow you around, to quote Buckaroo Banzai "Wherever you go, there you are". Incorporating forgiveness and redemption into your life not only helps you past your own moments but helps your friends through theirs. Those moments of lost opportunities and faded dreams may have just been mirages, fevered lotus fits, tricks by the subconscious.

I am most forgiving

[elrohana.livejournal.com]

I forgive other people most of the time, and myself occasionally. I have forgiven people for all sorts of unpleasant things, where others would bear a grudge and hate till the death. I'm not Christian, so the idea of forgiving sins is frankly pointless to me, as I don't happen to believe in sins at all. However, I do happen to believe that life is too short for hating people, so with the exception of a few politicians, I forgive most people the things they do that hurt me, annoy me, or whatever. I will probably even one day forgive my boss for making my life a misery.

Happy Solstice for tomorrow, by the way :)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Nice thought. Wishing you peace for the hoidays.