Forgiveness

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Maybe, all of us, at some point in our lives, have to learn to forgive. It could be minor disagreements where something callous or unkind was said. It could be something major that turned our world upside down - and caused hurt, anger, guilt and fear.

Forgiveness is like unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing that you were the prisoner, all along. We spend our nights tossing and turning, re-hashing the hurt and pain. It feels like someone has taken a piece of your life and heart, that you can never get back. 

There are times, when I find my mind is at unrest and churning a lot of things. If I take a step back, and look at the root cause of it - it's almost always because there are things I'm holding onto that I should be letting go. It affects the whole mind and body like poison and steals your joy. And, just when you are trying hard to let go - you see glimpses of the past repeating itself, only to bring back the flood of memories and the hurt that goes along with it.

The Bible has a lot to say about forgiveness. To forgive and let go. To forgive not once, not twice - but countless times. To forgive as God has forgiven us. 
"To be a Christian - means to forgive the inexcusable,  because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. " - C.S Lewis.
I have often looked at these verses and wondered why the greater onus was on the victim to forgive rather than a karmic thing, "where you reap what you sow", or something of that sort. 
"We are to forgive so that we may enjoy God's goodness without feeling the weight of anger burning deep within our hearts. Forgiveness does not mean we don't experience sorrow or forget easily. Instead, we roll our burdens onto the Lord and allow Him to carry them for us." - Charles Stanley
When we let God carry it, we are not consumed by rage, bitterness, anxiety or all the negativity which comes with holding onto grudges. And, you find that the very thing that you thought could cause you pain, does not have any power on you, because God has taken that away.
“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its' things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.” ― Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
This verse captures the essence of forgiveness - we expect forgiveness to be an instant, dramatic, grandiose thing. But, it is not. The pain we experience over whatever we forgive, leaves us quietly. One day, we wake up and realize we don't feel hurt over the matter, anymore. 

That is the power of forgiveness. It is liberating. It brings new life to your being. It releases you from your deepest fears. It gives you permission to love yourself. It makes allowances for others' weaknesses. It gives you a realization of our own brokenness. It lets you pray and intercede. Forgiveness is cathartic healing. Forgiveness is love, in action.
Each one of us here today, will at one time in our lives - look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true, we can seldom help those closest to us. Either, we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted.  But, we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding.” ― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It. 

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