True Forgiveness

I discovered something very powerful this past weekend about the power of forgiveness. All my life I have been willing to forgive, or so I thought, and to forget instances where I had felt that I had been wronged. I felt in my heart and in my soul that I truly did forgive people who had hurt me and was a bit arrogant that it seemed to have come so easily for me. Since I have been forgiven of much, why not forgive others. I watched unforgiveness rip apart the lives of other people around me and decided that I wouldn't allow that to happen to me because after all my unforgiveness would only hurt ME in the long run. What about those who have hurt us? They know that they have wronged us in some way....what feelings do they have...how do they react if they pass us in the grocery store or when we see them at the doctors office? What do they feel inside their hearts? This never concerned me before until now. My vision was clouded by the thought that they went along living normal lives not caring whether or not they hurt me or not. This is true for some, but not for most! We all want love and harmony. No one wants discord and bitterness or wrath. To let someone who has wronged you know that you forgive them and love them no matter what they may have done allows "them" to be free from the weight of unforgiveness and not only us. After all this walk in life is not about us! ME ME ME ME!! It's about us connecting to and being transformed in our hearts, minds, & bodies. To hear the words, "Thank you for forgiving me," and seeing their heads rise and the smile on their face is one of the greatest rewards for us as children of the Most High God. #justathought