"May God bless you and keep you always, may your wishes all come true, may you always do for others, and let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung. May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true, may you always know the truth, and see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong, may you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy, may your feet always be swift, may you have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift. May your heart always be joyful and may your song always be sung. May you stay forever young." -Bob Dylan


"Not talking about a year, no not three or four. I don't want that kind of forever in my life anymore. Forever always seems to be around when it begins, but forever never seems to be around when it end. So give me your forever, please your forever. Not a day less will do from you.
People spend so much time every single day runnin' 'round all over town givin' their forever away. But no not me, I won't let my forever roam and now I hope I can find my forever a home. So give me your forever, please your forever. Not a day less will do from you.
Like a handless clock with numbers, an infinite of time. No not the forever found only in the mind. Forever always seems to be around when things begin, but forever never seems to be around when things end. So give me your forever, please your forever. Not a day less will do from you." - Ben Harper

Friday, August 26, 2011

Forgiveness

I read this book a few years back when I was in college. I was going through a lot and these couple pages stood out to me at that time in my life. I wanted to share it with everyone. I'm sure all of us have been hurt/hurt someone at some point(s) in our lives. This is a wonderful perspective of what forgiveness looks like. It is such a beautiful, selfless lesson taught to us by our Savior.

"Okay- now for a hard step (as if the others have been easy). A real step of courage and will. We must forgive those who hurt us. The reason is simple: Bitterness and unforgiveness set their hooks deep in our hearts; they are chains that hold us captive to the wounds and the messages of those wounds. Until you forgive, you remain their prisoner. Paul warns us that unforgiveness and bitterness can wreck our lives and the lives of others (Eph. 4:31, Heb. 12:15). We have to let it all go.
"Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Col. 3:13

Now-listen carefully. Forgiveness is a choice. It is not a feeling- don't try and feel forgiving. It is an act of the will. "Don't wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving." wrote Neil Anderson. "You will never get there. Feelings take time to heal after the choice to forgive is made." We allow God to bring the hurt up from our past, for "if your forgiveness doesn't visit the emotional core of your life, it will be incomplete," said Anderson. We acknowledge that it hurt, that it mattered, and we choose to extent forgiveness to our fathers, out mothers, those who hurt us. This is not saying, "It didn't really matter"; it is not saying, "I probably deserved part of it anyway." Forgiveness says, "It was wrong. Very wrong. It mattered, hurt me deeply. And I release you. I give you to God."

It might help to remember that those who hurt you were also deeply wounded themselves. They were broken hearts, broken when they were young, and they fell captive to the Enemy. They were in fact pawns in his hands. This doesn't absolve them of the choices they made, the things they did. It just helps us to let them go- to realize that they were shattered souls themselves, used by our true Enemy in his war. "
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