Tuesday; March 7

Typically, when we think about forgiveness, we see it as a religious principle. The Bible is very pointed about the need for people to not only seek the forgiveness of God, but also to express forgiveness to their fellow man. Forgiveness is a key to Christianity!

While the presence of forgiveness is vital in Christianity, it is also an important part of basic human civility. Without forgiveness there can be no mutual respect. Without forgiveness emotions will escalate to the point of retaliation and revenge. Forgiveness is the basic principle in righting a relationship that needs to be restored – whether that is between neighbors, states or political parties. We have been taught that, to be successful, we have to drive hard and make sure we get our way – because we can’t give in, or others will roll over us. We have convinced ourselves that we can’t show weakness. Yet, when we are willing to forgive each other, we have the luxury of trying to build things together, in unity. Forgiveness also allows us to try to do things that are new (and maybe even things that can potentially be better or innovative) without a fear of failure because we will have the opportunity to do better the next time.

Let’s make sure we elevate forgiveness to where it needs to be in our religion, but not neglect its value in every aspect of life. By forgiving one another, we can make this a special time and place in which to live.

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday; May 3

I have a fish tank that allows my three Bettas (Larry, Darrell and Darrell) to live in the same structure, but remain hidden from each other – well sort of.   When I go to feed the fish, I believe that one of the Darrell’s can sort of see that the other Darrell is getting fed and he will linger over on that side of the tank even after I put his food in his tank.   I have to tap on the side of the tank where his food is floating to help him refocus and eat.   I get the impression that he is so interested in what is going on in the other Darrell’s tank that he can’t enjoy his own food. I have been told that the brain of a fish is pretty small – which explains their inability to process “blessings”, but are we guilty of the same malady as Darrell?   Are we so worried (or consumed) by what happens to the people around us that we fail to realize what is going on with us?   Are we envious of the blessings that others are receiving and end up missing out on what we have been given?   Are w
Read more

Thursday; February 14

         While most of us are familiar with today being Valentine’s Day, there are some who actually refer to February 14 th as “St. Valentine’s Day”.  This title is often affixed to a criminally historic event known as “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” on February 14, 1929 in Chicago, but that is another story for another time.  Not knowing much about the history of “Saint Valentine” I did a little research and found out he was a Roman religious leader who was martyred in 269 AD.  According to my limited research Valentine was killed because of his encouragement of Roman men (especially soldiers) to marry which was in violation of Claudias’ edict that prohibited marriage to keep their minds singularly focused on their task of defending the Empire.  Somehow, from this beginning – and possibly embellished by Chaucer – St. Valentine became intertwined with the concept of romantic love.           I am not really sure how February 14 th became connected with love, but inspired by thi
Read more

Wednesday; December 6

What does it mean to be a leader? I subscribe to the belief that a leader is someone who seeks the best for others and works with them to achieve their potential. There are others; however, who define leadership as the ability to have a vision and the tenacity to get their own way. Leaders who are this way are often portrayed as having developed the maturity to manipulate people to do things their way. However, is the ability to drive people in our direction mature or is it childish? The Christians of the 1st Century came from a lot of different backgrounds and had to work hard to work together. As the Apostle Paul challenged Christians in the city of Ephesus he challenged them to accept individual differences, “… until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. “ (Ephesians 4:13). Bossiness was not to be viewed as a sign of maturity, a willingness to wo
Read more