I have a little bit of food for your soul today that I stumbled upon a month ago. I needed to let it sit and come to fruition on its own accord.
“You need to move in love. You have to forgive people who sometimes aren’t even sorry. Master this, and the blessings will overflow.” - Unknown
There is so much here that I want us to take apart and put back together. Some of you will apply it to a specific period in your life; many may set it aside for later use, while others may discard it, and there is no right or wrong decision.
The idea of moving in love will be different for everyone and may require some reflection, but for me, when something moves me, it stirs an unknown space in the depths of my soul. It’s one of those things that you feel but cannot explain. It just is.
As children, we were raised and forced to apologize when we did something wrong, but as we grew up, the apologies became fewer. We find reasons why our behaviours are justified to the point lives, are being torn apart, and apologies never show their face.
We have all felt the sting of hurt, the slap of deceit, the embarrassment of being taken advantage of, ridiculed and mishandled in so many different ways. But through it all, there comes a time when we need to learn to accept apologies we never have and will never receive.
I never quite understood the entire idea of forgiving without an apology; it’s seemed insane until I had to put it into practice. I finally get it now.
When hurt enters our space, the first reaction is to get revenge in any possible way because you want that person to hurt as much as you did. And no matter how many things you try, there isn’t any satisfaction and what’s worse is that sometimes while you are waiting for the floor to fall from beneath them, they seem to be doing just fine, and it infuriates us even more.
I come to you from a place of insight as this is as real as it gets. If I were to sit and wait for someone to apologize to me for what they did that almost destroyed me, I would be waiting a lifetime, and it came to the point where I knew I would never get the apology I wanted. So I took matters into my own hands, and instead of seeking revenge, as much as it would have temporarily satisfied the anger inside me, I chose to forgive without an apology. I decided to let God handle that person in His timing.
Once I could forgive ahead of what I thought I needed, it created the space required to forgive myself. I never understood how much power there was in forgiving myself, but I have learned and experienced the immense space it gives me to live and love without shame, guilt or regrets.
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Lewis Boese
When we shift our focus from pain to healing and forgiveness, things look different. And maybe that exactly is how moving in love is supposed to look. Let’s remember the gift of forgiveness is one we not only give to others but one we give to ourselves. May we all have peace of mind and the ability to move in love and live.
Be Inspired!
(Photo Credit: Elias Maurer via Unsplash)
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