Forgiveness

Can you believe this is the last Friday of the month of February! On Monday we start a new month that will bring us the start of Spring, the end of the First Quarter and hopefully nicer weather. This weekend is the perfect time to reflect on what did and did not work this month in both your business and personal life. One subject for reflection that I would like to talk about is forgiveness.

We all have things that we have done that we regret, and we all have been wronged by someone at some point in our lives. Colossians 3:13 instructs us to forgive one another if we have a grievance against them, just as the Lord has forgiven us. Do you have a grudge or resentment against someone? Did someone wrong you in some way? I have heard it said that holding on to unforgiveness and resentment is like drinking poison expecting the other person to die. It really just harms ourselves. It creates undue stress and anger and lowers our mental and emotional quality of life, and can actually lead to stress-related illness.

Perhaps you have done something you regret, I know I have. It is equally as important to forgive ourselves as it is to forgive others. We don't have to pay penance the rest of our lives for something we have done to some, or even to ourselves. God forgives us, so we can forgive ourselves. Ask yourself, and God if you choose, where you are harboring resentments and pray a prayer of forgiveness. Let the past go, quit allowing others to rent space in your head, and experience the promise of God found in verse 15 of the same chapter; peace.