Forgiveness

[CAPTAINZING2000]

Two friends were walking through the desert. At one point during the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt and, without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone ... why?"

The other friend replied, "When someone hurts us, we should write it in sand where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.

Take a potato and write on it the name of a person who has fallen from grace with you. Do this for everyone who has raised your ire and never received your forgiveness.

When you have finished, gather all your potatoes together and place them in a sack.

Keep this sack next to you at all times. Take it to work. Take it to lunch. Take it everywhere you go. And always have it with you at home.

How long would it take for you to grow tired of carrying this burden around? How long would it take your potatoes to sprout into other things, fester and smell?

Wouldn't it be nice to be free from the weight, stench and constant reminder of hurt, disappointment, heartache and anger?

By hanging on to things that are unpleasant, we create more anguish for ourselves.

When you forgive someone, you free yourself from an oppressive load of negativity.

Forgiveness allows you to create peace on your life.

I wish you peace.

[CAPTAINZING2000]

20 Words to the Wise


1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

2. Dear God: I have a problem. Sometimes, it's me.

3. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

5. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. Faith is the ability to not panic.

8. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

9. If we worry, we probably didn't pray. If we pray, we probably don't worry.

10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

11. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

12. The most important things in our homes are the people.

13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knots for us.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead. And who knows where he has gone?

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until we experience it, otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on our "pity pot" every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living our life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams we seek require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle -- it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.