The Healing Power of Forgiveness

 Imagine a world where everyone forgave everything. There would be no need for revenge, conflict or war; no family rifts, lost friendships or grudges. We would see each person as God sees them-worthy of unconditional love.

A tall order, of course, but worth pondering and working towards.  If each one of us, in our own little circle of influence, were to spend time in prayer, asking for the heart to forgive each person who has wronged us, and most importantly, to forgive ourselves, the world might begin to change, little by little.

Toxic emotions, like regret, anger, resentment and guilt, can affect us in negative ways, not only emotionally and spiritually, but physically as well. We are complex beings; body, mind and spirit are interconnected and everything that we expose ourselves to in one realm affects the others in ways that we are not always consciously aware of.

Numerous studies have shown that negative emotions like anger, hostility, anxiety and guilt can suppress our immune systems, weaken our heart function and cause digestive problems. Conversely, letting go of burdens and consciously focusing on the positive has been shown to have a beneficial effect on health.

So, for today, let's begin to heal ourselves with forgiveness of all hurts and release of all resentment and guilt:

I will share two little forgiveness prayers:

Dear God, I thank You for the power of forgiveness, and I choose to forgive everyone who has hurt me. Help me set [name anyone who has offended you] free and release them to You. Help me bless those who have hurt. Help me walk in righteousness, peace, and joy, demonstrating Your life here on earth. I choose to be kind and compassionate, forgiving others, just as You forgave me  -Amen.

Father, today I ask forgiveness of all the negative and harmful words I have spoken about myself. I do not want to abuse myself in such a way again. Transform my thoughts and let me understand how marvelously you made me. Change my habits so I use my tongue to speak hope and favor upon my life.

*Chistianity.com

 

Have a blessed day!

 

 

One In the Spirit

 What is happening in our country right now is not ok. When our Olympic athletes have to apologize to the world for what our government is saying and doing, things are not ok.

It's hard to know what to do to try and "right the ship", except to be a light in this time of darkness; to hold onto the light and the truth and shine it as brightly as possible everywhere we go.

Martin Luther King Jr. said:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that".

Each one of us, by ourselves, may not have much power, but together, united in Spirit, we can be transformative. At every turn, whenever we are in doubt as to what to do, we can ask ourselves, "what would Jesus do?" 

A hymn comes to mind and I will leave you with this for the day:

We Are One In The Spirit
We Are One In The Lord (2)
And We Pray That All Unity
May One Day Be Restored
And They’ll Know We Are
Christians By Our Love, By Our Love;
Yes, They’ll Know We Are Christians
By Our Love!

We Will Walk With Each Other
We Will Walk Hand In Hand (2)
And Together We Will Spread The News,
That God Is In Our Land
And They’ll Know We Are
Christians By Our Love, By Our Love;
Yes, They’ll Know We Are Christians
By Our Love!

-Peter Scholtes

Snowy Sunshine

 The sun made an appearance yesterday, which somehow transformed the frigid cold of winter into a more bearable season. Tom and I got out for a cross-country ski through the woods, which gave us the opportunity to soak up some of that sun! In this part of the country, during the long "bleak mid-winter", we begin to feel like underground moles, unaccustomed to the light, since it's been gray for so long. January, which in recent years has become a month of loss and pain for me, seems more hopeful when I see those rays of sunshine.

It reminds me of the Beatles song:

Here comes the sun
Doo doo doo doo
Here comes the sun and I say
It's alright

Little darling, it's been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here...

Here comes the sun
Doo doo doo doo
Here comes the sun and I say
It's alright

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here...

 I recently returned from visiting our daughter and her family in sunny New Mexico, where, even in the winter cold, the sun shines reliably almost every day. I was thankful to be able to visit for our granddaughter's 8th birthday, and Leila's sunny smiles added some special sparkles to the beautiful weather.

Coming back home to snowy weather and gray days, however, made me think about how easy it is to take sunshine and blue skies for granted when you see them all the time, as my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter do. Here in Rochester, when we have a sunny day in the dead of winter, it seems like a wonderful gift and we run outside to greet its warmth, excited and grateful.

I guess many aspects of life are like that; too easy to take for granted when you have them all the time. Family, a warm home, plenty of food to eat, our five senses, freedom, sunshine and nature, to name just a few. I'm sure it's easy to think of more. No matter what our circumstances are, whether we are experiencing pain or joy, there is always something beautiful and hopeful.

That's where gratitude comes in, being thankful for the good things that each moment brings. As I gazed outside at the lovely snow, brilliantly sparkling, and then moved to sit in front of the fireplace, so cozy and warm, my heart filled with light and a quiet voice whispered;
"all will be well". The winter will pass and spring will come with its light and new growth to give us strength and hope.The gray-white world will pass into greenness and life will come again.

 Thank you, thank you, thank you God!