To error is human, to forgive, well that just isn't everyone's policy, now is it?

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Forgiveness, it's a hard concept sometimes, but one that needs to be conquered or down the road things will come up that will send you into a tailspin and there will be very little you can do about it.  When we think of forgiveness we often conger up thoughts of someone having done something to us and now we have to decide what to do.  Do you let it slide and move on?  Do you attempt to take your pound of flesh as retribution?  Do you bury your anger deep inside only to have it come out in the future at the most inopportune time?  Each of these scenarios play out daily in our lives, but the questions that must be asked are: who are you angry at and more importantly why are you angry?

I have a belief that it is sometimes easier to forgive someone else verses forgiving ourselves.  We have all done or said things in the past that we wish we could take back and do over.  I can't think of a single person today that is immune to this, but the thing that amazes me the most is when I see someone who is unable or at times unwilling to forgive themselves for things that may or may not have happened in their life.  We have lots of control over the things we do in our life, but we have very little control over what others may do to us.

It is in this vein that I want to talk to you today and it is my hope that you will walk away with a new lease on life and maybe for the first time lay to rest the unforgiveness you have shown toward yourself.  First and foremost: no one is perfect.  We may be perfect in our design as human beings, since the Creator of the Universe is incapable of making anything that is not perfect.  However, that perfection in our design does not always translate to the perfection that many want in their own life both in actions and deeds, and herein lies the problem.  We need to realize that mistakes will be made, whether intentional or not, and we need to be able to accept this fact. Face it, there are many things that are out of our control.  For example: you have scheduled an outdoor wedding for the summer months and on the day of this wonderful event the rain she comes.  Now you had no idea it would rain when you scheduled this event twelve months ago, but low and behold it is raining and the first thing that comes to mind is how stupid to think it would work out and you must have done something to bring this on.  Yea sure, you have the power to move weather patterns and now since it is raining you have to accept the fact that you failed and brought this on yourself. OK, time to get off your high horse and stop giving yourself credit for something you had zero influence on.

Each of us can share responsibility for things that we can control and do mess up, why add insult to injury by accepting responsibility for things you have zero control over?  Stop being a martyr and realize that things happen for a reason and why cry over spilled milk.  There are so many people in the world today who are playing the victim card.  Now just in case you think me heartless, I know that there are bad things that happen to good people.  Conversely, I also know that there are good things that happen to really bad people, and this gets others to wonder why they never get to see good things on their doorstep and this looser of an individual seems to have the Midas touch.  Let it go people and realize that you can't change what others are destined for.

I walked around for years not able to forgive myself for things that happened years ago.  Why didn't I do this when I had the chance?  Why couldn't I see that before the world came crashing down around me?  Why am I the only one who seems to be going without?  Why? Why? Why?  After a bit we all seem to sound like a broken record, but that's OK, as long as you finally realize that it is time to put an end to this nonsense.  We cannot change what happened yesterday, and we certainly have no idea what is going to transpire tomorrow, so do yourself a favor and live in the "Today".  Unforgiveness for past failures is nothing more than a noose around your neck and sooner or later you will hang yourself with it.  Let it go and move past it.  I'm not saying it is going to be easy, but what is the alternative?

If you truly believe that those things we go through are things that are put in our path to teach us something, whether it be good or bad, then what right do you have to question the perfection of the Creator of the Universe simply because it may not have worked out the way you wanted it to work out?  I have said this before that there is nothing that I would change in my life up to this point because it has taught me so many lessons and without those tough lessons I would not be the person I am today. If you can look at things as learning opportunities then you can never hold them against yourself and therefore there never has to be unforgiveness in your life again.

It is time to forgive yourself for your past and walk into the present.  If you cannot be in the present then you will never have to worry about what is going to come tomorrow, and quite frankly I can't wait for tomorrow to get here because I get to do things again and more often than not the good things I get to do are very very good.