Letting It Go–To God

Forgiveness, God, Inspiration 0

“Forgiveness is not defined by a feeling, although it will ultimately change our feelings. . . .  Forgiveness is our determined and deliberate willingness to let something go.  To release it from our possession.  To be willing and ready for it to no longer occupy us.  God is not asking us to let ‘it’ go haphazardly into the black hole of nonexistence.  Forgiveness means letting it go to God.  Letting it go from our power to His.  Forgiveness is the ongoing act by which we agree with God over the matter, practice the mercy He’s extended to us, and surrender the situation, the repercussions, and the hurtful person to Him.”

— Beth Moore, Praying God’s Word

For Our Own Sakes

Forgiveness, Inspiration 0

“If only we could understand that God’s unrelenting insistence on our forgiveness is for our own sakes, not the sake of the one who hurt us.  God is faithful.  He will plead our case and take up our cause . . . but only when we make a deliberate decision to cease representing ourselves in the matter.”

— Beth Moore, Praying God’s Word, p. 220

Core Value

Compassion, Inspiration 0

Affirmation of core value from Steven Stosny’s The Powerful Self:

I am worthy of respect, value, and compassion, whether or not I get them from others.  If I don’t get them from others, it is necessary to feel more worthy, not less.  It is necessary to affirm my own deep value as a unique person, a child of God.  I respect and value myself.  I have compassion for my hurt.  I have compassion for the hurt of others.  I trust myself to act in my best interests and in the best interests of loved ones.”

Lasting Love

Forgiveness, Inspiration, Love, Marriage 0

“There is a great deal of ‘how to’ literature about keeping love alive that can be distilled into two words:  persistent effort.  When we are held back, pushed aside, ignored, hurt, rejected, we must be like the heart that keeps beating even in the damaged body; we must persist.  If we are not prepared to be resilient in love, we need to be prepared for a short relationship!

“Nearly everyone is guilty of having thrown up their hands in despair over some seemingly loveless act or unsolvable problem in relating.  Every attempt at rectifying the situation seemed to push us into another dizzying failure until we finally lost the motivation, if not the reason, to try once more.

“Since we cannot live without love, we must rise up and try again.  It helps if we keep in mind that there are few obstacles that can resist perseverance, determination, patience, and most of all, more love.”

–Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 33