forgiveness

If you are like me, forgiveness is a topic that you think about weekly.  It is a major theme in the lives of people who wish to rise above the negative experiences in their lives.

Richard Rohr says that, "the gospel comes down to forgiveness."  While I have been saying that the gospel comes down to love and kindness, being able to show love and kindness is not possible without forgiveness.

So forgiveness is a key piece of living the Christian life.  We cannot compartmentalize.  We cannot love some and resent others.  The resentment of the one will spill over into everything else that we are.   If I harbor unforgiveness for one, it affects everything in my heart that would go out to anyone else.

Desmund Tutu had a lot to forgive, for the injustices that were done to him.  He wrote, "It is the knowledge of my own frailty that helps me find my compassion, my empathy, my similarity, and my forgiveness for the frailty and cruelty of others."  In other words, when I think of some of the bad things that I have done, it helps me to release others who have done bad things to me.

If you are harboring resentment, keep working on the issues.  It takes time, but you can make it to the other side.

It's a beautiful, resentment free day in God's world, be sure to see the good.