I could probably post well over 1,000 quotes about the topic of forgiveness, right? Instead, and since it's feedback I'm looking for, I will ask instead that you provide me with 3 forgiveness quotes that you believe to be true.
Do you forgive the people that have taunted and teased you for saying that you talk or act White? If you have, how and why? If you have not, why not?
Are there steps to forgiveness? Or do you simply make the decision to forgive someone and it's a done deal?
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"He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends."-Proverbs 17:9
ReplyDelete"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."-Mahatma Gandhi
"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."-Mark Twain
I have forgiven those who teased me about "talking or acting White" because I believed when those comments were said to me, there was no true malice behind them (ignorance, but not malice).
There are steps to forgiveness, at least there are for me. Forgiveness is something I've struggled with throughout my life. I have to get over the shock of the initial feeling of hurt and acknowledge it. Then, I go through a "mourning period" when I'm sad about what's happened. That is followed with anger, which lasts the longest for me in the process.
I tend to desire to approach the situation and the person who hurt me so I can address the forgiveness step. Sometimes, some people aren't the most copperative because they are on the defense, which makes the forgiveness step extremely difficult and I tend to get angry all over again.
I have forgiven them because I can't hold on to bitter feelings and my spiritual faith helps me be forgiving. I also know that their teasing made me a stronger person. The steps for forgiveness for me, is letting go of the pain, understanding that I am not what they call me, and asking God to help me forgive.
ReplyDeleteTo be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I have forgiven those that have made fun of me. I have tried to. I am no longer intimidated by them, but I still hold a little anger. I think, why me? I am still working on it. Having faith definitely helps. The one thing that makes it easier is I have empathy for others. I know what hurt feels like and I try to make sure those around me don't feel the way I did.
ReplyDelete"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."
ReplyDelete-- Paul Boese
"Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions."
-- Gerald G. Jampolsky
I have requested forgiveness and I have been given it. I have had a hard time forgiving someone - but learned from it. Am I any good at it.....not very.....but I keep trying.....
Forgiveness, that is big. I think as I have gotten older it has been easier to forgive those not close to me. The kids that teased or taunted me as a child I have forgiven because I see how they lives turned out compalred to mine.I am doing just fine and many of them are not. Glad I stuck to my guns and did not fall to the peer pressure or no telling where I would have ended up. I do have some issues forgiving people closer to me because the expectations and standards for those folks are higher. Once those have been violated I do have a real problem with forgiveness. and this is where prayer is the only thing that will help.
ReplyDeleteHopefully its not too late to add to the discussion but forgiveness is vital to being able to move on. If you choose not to forgive, then you to choose to let the person that offended you have power over your life. That person will weigh down your thoughts and emotions and hinder your productivity. Often times when you don't forgive, you will be afraid to love the next person completely and without reservation. I think forgiveness is one of the best things that you can do for yourself.
ReplyDeleteAre there steps to forgive? Not necesssarily... but I think there are two parts to forgiveness which is to forgive and then let go... Often times people forgive and they still hold on to negative situations and they have not completely resolved the situations in their hearts. I think the best way to forgive is to just do it and then release it.
You asked for three quotes about forgiveness that I believe to be true, but I only live by one:
ReplyDeleteTo err is human; to forgive is divine.
~Alexander Pope
As a Christian I forgive others, because that is what Christ commands us to do, and because I yearn for forgiveness when I hurt or offend others. When I say the section of the Lord's Prayer "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us", it's important to me to understand what that means and apply it to my life. I can't simply mouth the words. I am asking God to forgive me for my offenses as I will forgive those who have offended me.
Although it's extremely hard sometimes, it is as simple as that. When we don't forgive others, it is such a heavy burden to carry. Many times the people who have hurt us don't even realize it, and have gone on with their lives. To carry a grudge against someone gives them a power of me that I am not willing to give.
The only steps I have in the process of forgiveness is to first realize that the person who hurt me is human just as I am, and that as humans we all make mistakes. I acknowledge that (a) I have been guilty of hurting or offending someone at one time or another and (b) I wanted their forgiveness.
"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Lewis B. Smedes
ReplyDelete"You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well" - Lewis B. Smedes
"Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don't worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time—just like it does for you and me." - Sara Paddison
I have forgiven all who have teased me about "talking white". It is easy to do once you understand the mindset and ignorance of a person who would dare say such a thing. The steps to forgiveness would be knowing who you are and that we all make mistakes.
This is hard for me – I can’t think of any. The only thing that popped into my head was the biblical passage about, “When I was a child, I [something] with childish things, but now that I am a man, I put childish things away.” I know it has a different meaning entirely from forgiveness, but I think it could hold a lesson about letting go of old ways, but also old hurts and slights.
ReplyDelete-Do you forgive the people that have taunted and teased you for saying that you talk or act White? If you have, how and why? If you have not, why not?-
I’ve never actively thought that I’ve forgiven them, but answering this post makes me realize that I have. They were kids, is all. Although I hope they’ve grown up to be better adults, I accept them if they haven’t. You’d have to ask me again when I run into an adult who tells me I talk/act white. That hasn’t happened so far. But I’d rather forgive and try to “convert” than just give up on them entirely.
-Are there steps to forgiveness? Or do you simply make the decision to forgive someone and it's a done deal?-
I’m trying to remember the last time I felt wronged by someone. As I’ve gotten older and my circle of loved ones has stayed constant, or gotten smaller, I’m surrounded by the people I deeply love and trust. They disappoint me sometimes, and will occasionally let me down – but there haven’t been a lot of forgiveness-level offenses. I do have a long memory and am not likely to forget when someone has let me down. I can stew about it for a while, and if I don’t broach the subject with the person in a controlled way, it WILL spill out in a bad way. So I try to never let anything fester.