I Will Greet This Day With a Forgiving Spirit ~ The Compassionate Decision

We spent some time with a compassionate man this week at the Team Challenge...Abraham Lincoln. His compassion changed the course of history.  He taught us about the gift of forgiveness.

In his classic book An Enemy Called Average, John Mason writes, "When faced with the decision to forgive, never make the excuse, 'But no one knows what that person did to me.'
"That may be true," he says, "but the question is, do you know what unforgiveness will do to you?"

What does unforgiveness do to us? Have you ever experienced the mental illusions that life has you cornered? Have you ever felt boxed in, discouraged, controlled by outside circumstances? Andy Andrews has determined over the years that there is generally someone you haven't forgiven or someone who you haven't asked for their forgiveness.  The persons name sticks in the back of your mind, as if subconsciously tapping you on the shoulder, diverting your focus from where it should be.

There is a story an old Indian man tells his grandson about a fight going on inside between two wolves. One wolf was evil and full of anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, and ego. The other wolf was a good wolf, full of forgiveness.
The grandson asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old man simply replied, "The one I feed."

Most likely, as you read these words, there is a fight going on inside of you between those same two wolves. The fight is revealing itself to you as someone's name or a visual image of that face.  You can kill the wolf that contains all that anger, sorrow, regret, and resentment by embracing the good wolf and choosing forgiveness.

And then...there is one person you need to forgive that if you don't, your effectiveness as a wife, as a mother or father, as a friend or leader will suffer.  The key to bringing your dreams into reality is forgiveness, and specifically, forgiveness of this one person...that one person is you.

We have piled so much onto our own shoulders. There are many things we intended to do that we didn't do, so many promises we made but didn't keep, and so many goals we set that we didn't achieve. Over time they've piled up on us, and the weight can be crushing. You have to forgive yourself!

For many of us, our greatest enemies have been ourselves. Every mistake, every miscalculation, every stumble we make we replayed in our minds. When we disappoint ourselves, it sets in motion a continual cycle of disappointment.

Forgive yourself. Begin anew. The simple fact of forgiving yourself will change your life!

Forgiveness is a secret that is hidden in plain sight. it costs nothing and it's worth millions. It is available to everyone and used by few. If you harness the power of forgiveness, you will be sought after and regarded highly. And not coincidentally, you will also be forgiven by others! ~ A. Lincoln

Always encouraging you,
Letha