When I Feel The Joy Of Receiving

With A Little Time, And A Little More Insight, We Begin To See Both Ourselves And Our Enemies In Humbler Profiles. We Are Not Really As Innocent As We Felt When We Were First Hurt. And We Do Not Usually Have A Gigantic Monster To Forgive; We Have A Weak, Needy, And Somewhat Stupid Human Being. When You See Your Enemy And Yourself In The Weakness And Silliness Of The Humanity You Share, You Will Make The Miracle Of Forgiving A Little Easier.

The Secret Of Grace Is That It Can Be All Right At The Center Even When It Is All Wrong On The Edges.

The Problem With Revenge Is That It Never Gets What It Wants; It Never Evens The Score. Fairness Never Comes. The Chain Reaction Set Off By Every Act Of Vengeance Always Takes Its Unhindered Course. It Ties Both The Injured And The Injurer To An Escalator Of Pain...why Do Family Feuds Go On And On?...the Reason Is Simple: No Two People, No Two Families, Ever Weigh Pain On The Same Scale.

Forgiving Does Not Usually Happen At Once. It Is A Process, Sometimes A Long One, Especially When It Comes To Wounds Gouged Deep. And We Must Expect Some Lapses...some People Seem To Manage To Finish Off Forgiving In One Swoop Of The Heart. But When They Do, You Can Bet They Are Forgiving Flesh Wounds. Deeper Cuts Take More Time And Can Use A Second Coat.

Forgive A Wife-slammer If You Can. But You Don't Have To Live With Him. Forgive A Husband Who Is Abusing Your Children If You Can. But Only After You Kick Him Out Of The House. And If You Can't Get Him Out, Get Help. It's Available. In The Meantime, Don't Let Him Near The Kids, And Don't Let Anyone Tell You That If You Forgive Him It Means You Have To Stay With Him. [there's An Important Difference Between Forgiving A Person And Tolerating Their Bad Behavior.]