Why Forgiveness Matters

FORGIVNESS

For the sake of discussion say that you owned a nice functional barn in the middle of the country for whatever reason you would want to own a barn for.     The only thing wrong with this barn is that it is rat ridden.     You decide that you do not want to hire an exterminator so you drive into town to the closest general store and purchase the perfect amount of industrial strength rat poison that would be more than enough to take care of your situation.   You pack the poison in your trunk or back of your truck and drive back to the country. 

You pull up right in front of your barn, take the rat poison out of your vehicle and you start using your hands to consume as much rat poison as possible in an attempt to eradicate all of the rats that are residing in your barn.    You are an intelligent person so let me as you a few questions:

• What do you think is going to happen  to the rats?

• What do you think is going to happen to you?

• What do you think happens to you on the inside when you hold onto anger and resentment towards someone for a past transgression?

• What do you think happens to the person who has not received your forgiveness?

• Do you like rhetorical questions?

Three Forgiving Steps To A Better Life

1. Forgive Yourself:  Maybe I am just speaking for myself here but we have all done some severely fucked up shit in our day.   (Sorry for the language, but I REALLY wanted to get a point across).    Some things we did on purpose, other things that we did on accident but all things that we wish we wouldn't have done.    See yourself with kind eyes and realize that you are only human, forget after you forgive. 

1. Forgive Others:  If there is anyone that you need to forgive in your life; a parent, an ex, a friend, that jagoff in traffic today (for all you road ragers out there...ha ha) etc?    If not, congrats........    However, if someone came to mind, then go ahead and forgive them now............go ahead, the rest of us will wait for you................Welcome Back!!!!!    Don't you feel better?    If you haven't actually did the exercise either DO IT NOW or make sure you do it before you fall asleep tonight.     To forgive is divine and to err is human.    If you are not perfect you do not have to expect anyone else to be. 

1. Aim For A 0.00001% Daily Improvement:  You know that one perfect person that you know that can do no wrong?    Maybe you work with them, maybe you are friends with them, maybe they are a relative, maybe it's someone you run into on an almost daily basis.     They look perfect, eat perfect, have perfect relationships, dress perfect and have nothing but perfect things happen to them?    Well I have news for you, things may not be exactly what they seem to this person.    Everyone has some stuff that they are dealing with and some area or areas in which they are trying to improve.     If you compare yourself with the most successful person you know or know of then you will automatically feel bad.    Instead focus on being a slightly better version of you yesterday as you were today and watch the results flow in....   

The moral of today's post is that holding on to resentment and anger and refusing to forgive another person is akin to a person consuming rat poison and expecting the rat to keel over. 

Until we read again, 

Jaxon

p.s.    Thank you for forgiving me on misspelling the word "Forgiveness"  in today's photo caption, I appreciate it.