Everyone makes mistakes.
We cannot keep unforgiveness in our hearts. It is not good for the mind, body or soul.
History teaches us that unforgiveness can be passed down to the next generation.
A person will reap what they sew. If we choose not to forgive a person for their mistakes, it does not erase the past.
The past cannot be changed, but only the path to the future.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
—Jesus
Forgive people in your life.
roughseasinthemed
/ August 29, 2012Or forgive but not forget?
bossymoksie
/ August 29, 2012I will never forget!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LizEccentric7
/ August 29, 2012There are things I forget easily and other memories are there forever. Usually the bad memories.
bossymoksie
/ August 29, 2012That’s always the way.
LizEccentric7
/ August 30, 2012If only we could remember the happy memories as much as the sad ones. That would be nice.
LizEccentric7
/ August 29, 2012Yes, sometimes we cannot forget. That is very true.
John
/ August 29, 2012Amen sister! The world needs a mega-dose of these words from Him. So many are so full of themselves, puffed up and think they’re own poo smells like roses. Especially in the political realm. Great point!
LizEccentric7
/ August 29, 2012Seems like people in my town anyway do not forgive and put their noses high in the air, like they have never made mistakes, gets on my nerves.
Those people are just better had hiding their mistakes! I am not, this mouth tells everything, before I can get it to be quiet.
People here just hide things in secret. I don’t, never have been able to do that. For example: People will hide alcohol use or other stuff. Then pretend to be perfect.
Hiding stuff always comes out eventually. So, that’s why I don’t hide things. My mouth won’t let me.
a beautiful mess
/ August 29, 2012Forgiveness is love set in motion. It frees us from a lifetime of captivity and bondage.
You know what’s truly powerful? Learning how to forgive someone for not forgiving you. This is something you don’t hear too much about, but it’s close to my heart right now and it is the most outrageously difficult thinly I’ve ever tried to do.
Do you know how hard it is to humble yourself completely, to become fully accountable for your own flaws — even if you know deep down inside that part of the problem is actually the other person — and without even expecting an apology in return, you repent and seek forgiveness and own all your mistakes… Only to be further ostracised for everything you admitted? TALK ABOUT A HARD PILL TO SWALLOW… But to take their unforgiveness in the face of your broken humility and then return it with even deeper compassion… Well, that’s what Jesus Would Do. Are we capable of being truly Christ-like? Not always.
But I’ve learned that when we truly discover the ability to do this, in spite of how overwhelmingly painful it is, the person we set free isn’t them… It’s us.
LizEccentric7
/ August 29, 2012A beautiful mess you have wisdom beyond your years. Have to read this over and over on the laptop too.
You ever write poetry?
a beautiful mess
/ August 30, 2012Your response to ky comment touched me deeply. Caught me off guard. I wrote that without thinking too much about how the words came out (because yes I do wrote poetry and my OCD tends to analyze my word structure to death)… But when I typed all of that, I genuinely wanted to share my own struggles straight off the hip, knowing how deep yours are right now and feeling connected with you in the pain of it. I’m not wise, I’m a well-practiced punching bag for life’s tendency to kick us in the gut. And thanks to my desire to learn something from it, I’ve acquired a small sense of grace in the pain of it.
Keep pushing deeper into the lesson. It is revealing a more beautiful, compassionate you. Every purpose has its place. You’re getting somewhere — even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.
LizEccentric7
/ August 30, 2012@abeautifulmess – those are kind words and well appreciated. I will look at your comments on the days that seem long and hard at times.
LizEccentric7
/ August 30, 2012Abeautifulmess – it’s the hardest thing to forgive others who won’t forgive me. I have though, they just do not see it. I know exactly what you are feeling, it is where I am now in my life. Your beautiful words are much appreciated.
a beautiful mess
/ August 30, 2012K-chsshh! (High five.)
LizEccentric7
/ August 30, 2012Back at you
We can forgive. This is proof.
a beautiful mess
/ August 31, 2012Tapioca pudding sister!! (The proof is in the…)
Seriously though; I can count the times I’ve gone head-to-head like that on one hand. I seldom lose my cool and I seldom have a falling out with people I respect. It was strange and painful and embarrassing the same as every other experience that calls for forgiveness. And if we were able to transcend each other’s nonsense and actually grow to a deeper level of connectedness and respect, than there’s hope for anyone.
Sending you good vibrations. Tons of them.
lizeccentric7
/ August 31, 2012Thank you, forgiveness is a wonderful thing.
Time-traveler
/ August 30, 2012God knows I’ve pissed off a lot of people in my short time. It seems like I’m the one asking for forgiveness, most of the time.
LizEccentric7
/ August 30, 2012@TimeTraveler – same here. Found out most people do not forgive though, that’s the hard part.
theclaustrophobicintrovert
/ August 30, 2012Your thoughts here are so true. Forgiveness is the key to moving forward.
Everyone has had some pretty crappy things happen to them – if you keep the crap close to your heart, your life will be crap. It may not always be evident as the cause, but it’s there. It’s like the smell of decay just permeates your days, maybe only underlying, but still, there.
In addition to me asking for forgiveness for my mistakes, I chose to forgive people who wronged me – people I’m not in contact with (Thank God) – and who might not even care if I’d forgiven them because I doubt they lost any sleep over what they did (both were abusive in nature). Since making that conscious decision and saying the words – I forgive XXX for YYY – thinking on what happened, and then forgiving – my life changed immeasurably for the better. Of course I remember. But I don’t remember with bitterness – it’s with a removed neutrality. I know it happened, but I don’t have to be held back from it.
Wow, my comment was longer than your post!
LizEccentric7
/ August 30, 2012Love long comments! So happy you were able to forgive those who wronged you in such a horrible way. Yes, think unforgiveness can hold a person back in thier life. Forgiveness is sometimes the only way to move forward, or to forgive those who will not forgive us, as a beautiful mess stated in her comment. Your describing unforgiveness as a “decay” is the exact word I could not think of when writing the post. Decay of the mind, spirit and soul is exactly what unforgivness does to a person – you are very right.
roughseasinthemed
/ August 30, 2012There was an extremely good radio programme many years ago on the BBC. It took two people in similar situations eg a family member had been killed by a drunk driver, and interviewed them. One of course could not forgive the perpetrator, the other did. In virtually every programme I heard, the one who forgave was able to move on with their life and their emotions so much better. It was a good lesson I thought.
LizEccentric7
/ August 30, 2012That is a very good example, people who cannot forgive or be forgiven by others (I have learned) cannot move on as you said, often times if you speak to the homeless this is what started them down the path of severe drug use or mental problems etc. I have spoke to many of the homeless in D.C. and most of them have similar stories of a tragedy, and then either they were not forgiven or have not forgiven the person who wronged them. This begins their decent into severe drug use to escape from the pain. I was compelled to speak to so many homeless in D.C., guess cause they are very nice and friendly – and have very interesting pasts from Vietnam or other wars. Interviewed quite a few, should have recorded the interviews, and written reports….next time we go, I will do many interviews of how the unforgiveness in thier lives affected them in such a severe way. Having a family member killed by a drunk driver would be really hard to forgive, guess as the story goes, the person who forgives seems to be at peace, thank you Roughseasinthemed and wonderful lesson for others to learn.
a beautiful mess
/ August 31, 2012What an apropros connection you’ve made…
This speaks volumes to the essence of forgiveness. It sets you free. People wear unforgiveness like a comfortable sweater in the dead of winter. But when someone finds the courage to take the sweater off, they discover that in turn, they change the season to spring.
wellcallmecrazy
/ September 1, 2012It has been my experience that when you choose not to forgive someone, the only person you are really hurting is yourself. It takes energy to hold onto anger and hatred. Negative energy. Energy that in turn poisons you in some way. Nice post. Keep on going.
lizeccentric7
/ September 2, 2012Agree – Unforgiveness = poisonous negative energy that creates a hole in a person’s heart. Sometimes, they try to fill the hole with other things, but it never works. The hole is still in the heart, and is bad physically, mentally and spriritually.