*disclaimer...by no means am I saying I am good at this! It is the hardest thing in the world for me, but when I do make the effort and allow love to enter my heart I am so much happier!
Life is hard and there are so many painful things people go through in this life. Many are given more than their fair share it seems. There are so many situations that seem so unfair and can make life so miserable. Especially those circumstances brought about by other’s choices.
Life is hard and there are so many painful things people go through in this life. Many are given more than their fair share it seems. There are so many situations that seem so unfair and can make life so miserable. Especially those circumstances brought about by other’s choices.
I have been thinking and studying about love so much
lately. Not romantic love, but
Christlike love. The kind that is given
in spite of what has happened in the past, or what the other person has done or
continues to do. No matter if another
person is unlovable or irritating, or difficult. Our Savior didn’t just mingle with those who
believed him, he purposely went to those who were unbelievers and even those
who mocked him, he served them, he forgave them and extended to them his mercy
and unconditional love.
In my own life I have seen some pretty incredible people
live this principle of love and mercy and forgiveness (because you can’t have
unconditional love without those). I
have seen love and forgiveness extended in some seemingly impossible
situations. Death, divorce, abuse,
addiction, infidelity and the list of painful circumstances could go on and
on. I have seen love, forgiveness and
mercy extended in every single one of those circumstances. It wasn’t easy for sure; it was the person
who had been victimized making a very conscious choice to extend their
love. It didn’t matter if that person
who hurt them deserved it because in most cases they didn’t ask for the
forgiveness. It was the softening of the
heart of the victim and the putting aside their pride and desire for peace in
their own life. It came from a desire to
live like our Savior and lay the burden at His feet instead of harboring it in
their heart. Forgiveness doesn’t just
happen, it is an active conscious choice.
The greatest people I know have not only forgiven in their
heart but have also been willing to reach out and extend love toward those who
hurt them. It is truly a miracle to
watch and can only be brought about by the love of God. It is only He who can change our hearts and
fill our hearts with enough love to see that person as His child. Many of these amazing people have been
refined year after year, difficult circumstances one after another and have
chosen to have a soft enough heart to do extend His love. He works miracles in
our lives daily, but this may be his greatest miracle in extending to us his
mercy so that we are allowed to extend it to others.
I realize not everyone can do this. I realize in some circumstances it is
necessary to distance yourself from that person who hurt you so badly for
safety’s sake. Whether that safety is
physical or emotional safety (or both in a lot of cases), it isn’t wise to put
yourself or your family in harms way.
However we can fill our hearts with the love of God and by doing so can
drive out the bitterness and anger….if we allow it to cleanse us.
(the title of this post is a quote by Victor Hugo from the book Les Miserable)
2 comments:
This is beautiful, Cheryl. Sometimes the high road is the difficult one, but usually well worth it. There is a song by Matthew West called "Forgiveness". One line says, "Show me how to see what your mercy sees." A good prayer to help us do those hard things. Great post!
Beautifully written. Thank you. :)
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