love never fails

perfect love casts out fear

my heart can not believe

when my eyes are full of tears…

how in the world

can my heart fully live?

it must confront the offense

provide a decision – forgive.

70 X 7

seems a big price to pay

but less of a price

than giving happiness away.

when broken and wounded

my heart will not heal

by building a dwelling

on a past, distant hill.

forgiveness becomes

the key in my will

…my heart living freely

present and still.

when i cut my finger, i protect and nurture it as the healing process takes place. i don’t keep digging at it, irritating it and reopening it- healing never occurs when i do that. i allow the necessary time to heal the wound from the inside out…and once it’s healed…i leave the experience behind me and use that finger like it was never injured.

forgiveness is an important part of healing the heart. protect and nurture it as it heals…but don’t keep the wound forever bleeding…apply the salve of forgiveness and allow the heart to love like it had never been hurt. it will heal. if i let it.

10 things you are not doing when you forgive…you are NOT:

1. ignoring the offense
2. justifying the injustice
3. immediately re-trusting
4. reconciling
5. immediate healing
6. forgetting
7. waiting for an apology
8. enabling a recurrence
9. expecting forgiveness to be a one time event
10. gaining power over the offender

forgiveness is a gift…given to the heart…a permission to live on…pursue happiness…live large…to love again.

“Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another…” -Paul to the Ephesians

…..for we have been forgiven many times.

Look forward to seeing you soon,

D