December 10, 2025
Forgiveness isn’t a gift that
you give to others. Inasmuch as someone you forgive to their face may be
surprised, or moved, or perhaps even eventually changed by the grace you
display during the course of offering that forgiveness? Well, then that might
turn out to have been a gift to them.
But in fact, even then, that
gift isn’t given to them by you.
No, as in all other cases with
forgiveness, that gift is given to them by themselves.
Forgiving others who have
wronged us is a gift we give to ourselves. This kind of gift doesn’t come under
the heading of “luxury item”. No, it’s a necessity of life, one vital to the
maintenance of a healthy psyche, spirit and soul.
When you forgive someone for
something they have done, for some hurt or injury that you suffered, that
forgiveness is a blessing to yourself.
You lift the burden of that
hurt from your soul. The negativity of that past injury no longer weighs you
down. Your forgiveness of another mends your heart and restores your spirit. It
even makes room for more love!
Unforgiveness, on the other
hand, has nothing whatsoever to commend it.
All this I know from my own
personal experience. I have lived a life of bitterness where I held closest to
my heart all the horrible, bad things that had ever happened to me. And I have
also (and am now) living a life of forgiveness and self-care.
Please believe me when I tell
you the latter feels so very much better and lighter and happier than the
former.
Christmas time is approaching.
And while we call it the festive season it, like many occasions that are
important to us, is far more complex than that. We human beings are more complex than that.
Many people find Christmas
very difficult. It’s difficult for the homeless, and for those who are alone in
the world. It’s difficult for those whose means are spare. And it’s difficult
for those who have lost loved ones—parents, children, grandchildren, life
mates. Christmas is one of those occasions when the sorrow of lost loved ones
seems to be the heaviest to bear.
Scripture tells us to be kind
to one another. That simple message is one that doesn’t contravene any “ism”
you may believe in. It should be the easiest of all concepts for humans to
embrace. Despite recent examples to the contrary humans have a strong bent
toward being kind, doing good, and lending a helping hand.
I truly believe there are more
people in the world who would rather do good than there are those of ill will.
It would be a lot easier for more people to know that as fact if the “rotters”
out there weren’t so loud all the time. But it is what it is.
Being kind isn’t hard once you
get the hang of it. It doesn’t have to cost money, though it can. It mostly,
however, costs a thought to be so, and a moment to do so. But those two things
are easily afforded by most everyone.
And here’s the best thing of
all. In fact, it’s great news!
Being kind is a choice that
anyone and everyone can make. It’s not hard. The only raw ingredient needed is
the deliberate thought to choose to be kind. Period.
This is a busy time of year
for so many people. But if we take a moment to simply open ourselves up to the
desire to be kind, we’ll find something almost magical. Before we know it,
there will be an actual opportunity to do so—by holding a door, or letting
someone precede you in a check-out line, or even something as simple as
offering a smile to let someone know it’s all going to be ok. Because it will,
you know.
And that nice, warm, inner-peace-happy
feeling that comes in the wake of that simple act of random kindness?
Well, that’s just one of the
many cherries on top of life’s cake.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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