Here’s what I know about forgiveness. When you forgive someone…or ask for forgiveness…as long as it comes from the heart, without any ulterior motives, it will bring more peace into your life.
For some of us, there is always the 500-pound gorilla in the middle of the room: a resentment we thought we can’t quite come to terms with . . . an old wound that doesn’t quite heal completely, no matter how much we try. We’ve tried so hard to let these things go, so they can’t still be affecting us . . . can they?
Whether we realize it or not, some of us like to hold onto this old “stuff,” because they are familiar to us. We become comfortable with being uncomfortable with them. Fear is a significant factor behind our inability to forgive.
In the Ah-Man Workshops, participants are guided through a process that enables them to receive and/or bestow Forgiveness. Workshop attendees have shared how enlightening and helpful it is for them to see others work through resentment and forgiveness issues similar to their own.
Some of my favorite Forgiveness quotes are:
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.” –Unknown
“Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.” –Cherie Carter-Scott
“Resentment is like a glass of poison that a man drinks; then he sits down and waits for his enemy to die.” –Author Unknown
“Forgiveness is giving up the possibility of a better past.” –Author Unknown
“Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love.” –Mahatma Gandhi
And I love this one:
“Forgiveness is . . . accepting God's sovereign use of people and situations to strip you of self importance, and humiliate your self love.” –Martha Kilpatrick
To learn more about Michael Hoare and Ah-Man, visit here.
