Forgiveness

        I was driving down the road the other day when I saw a sign in front of a church. It said, "Forgive your enemies. It messes with their minds." As I read this sign I felt a smile come to my lips, a feeling of delight come to my heart, and a long, deep laugh come from my belly. When I finally stopped laughing at the joyous humor on this sign I realized something. What it said couldn’t be more true.

        A person whose mind is full of anger, after all, gives anger to the world and expects anger in return. In the same way a person whose heart is full of hate, shares that hate with the world and expects hate in return. Likewise a person whose soul is full of hurting passes that hurt on to the world and expects to be hurt again in return. It is a horrible and vicious cycle that eventually destroys the person’s life and harms everyone he touches.

        It is forgiveness that breaks this cycle, however. It is forgiveness that messes up the mind full of anger and shows it that there is another way to live. When you forgive another you keep your own mind full of peace, your own heart full of love, and your own soul full of joy. When you forgive another you pass these precious gifts along to them as well. When you forgive another you live the way that God meant for you to live and you show everyone around you how a Child of God can make this world a better and more loving place.

        Keep on forgiving others then. Keep on messing with their minds. Keep on helping their hearts and souls. Keep on living the life that God meant for you to live. If you have to do it seventy times seven times then do so happily. God never stops forgiving us. Why should we ever stop forgiving other.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

[ by: Joseph J. Mazzella (joecool@wirefire.com) -- {used with permission} ]