Forgiveness and Acceptance, Another Look at the Challenges

Forgiveness is the cleansing fire that burns away old regrets and resentments.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Forgiving is not a gift to someone else - Forgiving is your gift to yourself - a great gift - the gift of happiness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today, I say yes to forgiving. I commit to being for-giving love and for-giving compassion in all areas of my life.
– Sheri Rosenthal

Regrets, resentments, forgiveness, and acceptance again? Yes, again. Of all the topics we address in Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote, forgiveness is the one that generates the most response and controversy.

Again and again, in blog comments and by email, I get the response, "Something REALLY terrible was done to me, I can't forgive that." Often the really terrible thing is a childhood sexual molestation. The irony is that the more terrible the event, the more peace you can gain by forgiving it.

Forgiving and accepting does not mean that what was done was okay. An injustice was done, and someone likely should be punished. But your anger and resentment don't punish the other person. Your anger and resentment only punish you. So stop it. Stop it now. Stop hurting yourself and issue your own proclamation of forgiveness and acceptance so YOU can finally stop suffering.

Further reading: Forgive and Forget? Can You Really Lift Your Burden of Resentments?

Practical Forgiveness by Sheri Rosenthal

My good friend Sheri Rosenthal runs a website (www.withforgiveness.com) devoted to the subject of forgiveness. The picture on this page is of me at Machu Picchu on a Spiritual Journey to Peru with Sheri. Sheri organizes Spiritual Journeys to Peru, Egypt, the American Southwest, Mexico, Israel, and more.