Reflection, acceptance, gratitude

Thursday March 27, 2014 #613

 “Do not let the future be held hostage by the past.”

 ~Neal A. Maxwell

Every one of us has acted in ways we are not proud of. We have said and done things in moments of anger or sadness, or just through carelessness, that have hurt other people or ourselves. These situations cause us pain, guilt, and even shame as we berate ourselves for our transgressions. The real challenge is three-fold: First, reflection. We must reflect on these situations and allow both the feelings of regret, as well as learning from the event so as to not repeat it in the future. Second, acceptance. We have to get over it and forgive ourselves. It does us know good to keep dwelling on past mistakes if we have accomplished the first challenge of real reflection. Finally, gratitude. The third step is to use the wisdom gained from our personal experience to guide ourselves and offer counsel to others who are still struggling with the challenges of reflection and acceptance. We couldn’t do this without the experience, so gratitude is the final step.

Reflection, acceptance, gratitude. Be up to these three challenges, and never let your future be held hostage by your past.

The Power of Forgiveness

Thursday March 13, 2014 #609

 

“To forgive is to permanently shed hurt feelings and to put something away. It means drawing a line under something and saying, “Finished”…The courage to forgive is gigantic, and the courage to acknowledge the need to forgive is perhaps even greater.”

 

~Edward Crowther

 

What negative feelings are you holding onto?  In this life, people will disappoint you, anger you, hurt your feelings, ridicule you, take things from you, and more.  But remember:  the vast majority of people will inspire you, make you smile, encourage you, give of themselves for you, and much, much more.  Don’t spend your time dwelling on the wrongs people have dealt you.  The power of forgiveness is to give your mind the space to focus on the incredible goodness of most people.  Forgiveness is not weakness.  Forgiveness is courageous and powerful.  Who do you need to forgive?