Many of us try to feel loved and fill a void within by shopping, and buying gifts “things” for others. At times this causes increased stress because it is not within the person’s budget! Imagine being able to give a priceless gift that will not require a trip to the mall, a shopping cart, a credit card or cash in hand. This priceless gift will benefit you just as much as or even more so than the receiver. The priceless gift that I’m speaking of is the gift of forgiveness.
While the pleasure of exchanging material gifts is thrilling but short-lived, the freedom from forgiveness is everlasting.
Forgiveness can change your life. It is one of the Treasures of the Tao.
Forgiveness does not mean you erase the past, or forget what has happened. It doesn’t even mean the other person will change their behavior — you cannot control that. All it means is that you are letting go of the anger and pain, and moving on to a better place.
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
Forgiveness allows you to access your personal power and choose releasing pain from your heart. Forgiving others begins with being able to forgive yourself. Then you are able to forgive others, which in turn frees you.
Our Teacher Master Chen says:
“The goal of a human life is to stay in peace, tranquility and stillness. To preserve the root of peacefulness, that is the goal”. Now, once you lose the goal, you go out chasing after emotions, and then get attached to emotions and end up feeling like a victim. If you don’t forgive others you end up feeling you have become a victim. When you become a victim you lose the fun and joy in life. You lose it. Now you have to ask yourself, are you willing to sacrifice your joy and the fun in your life by going after revenge and persecution? Not to forgive?
So if you can see the goal of peacefulness, and your goal is to preserve this, then you know that you need to do. It comes from within. Forgiveness is really from your inner spirit, it is spiritual wisdom. You have the power, strength and wisdom to forgive.
This in turn makes room in your heart for all the benefits of forgiveness such as; inner peace, love, harmony, compassion and unity. These positive emotions flourish in the absence of pain and anger.
Life is all about choices….which do you choose now?
By: Nuris Lemire MS,OTR/L,NC
