Sunday, March 1, 2009

Day 25: Love forgives

After a break from the book, I'm ready to get back to it. Sorry for the pause but I needed some distance after those last few entries.

Daily Reading

You have to forgive for a marriage to work. And not just forgiveness within your marriage. But letting go of anything from your past that needs forgiving, too. Any hurts from your childhood, for example. You have to let those things go, forgive the people who have hurt you... so that you can be complete in your marriage.

And then you choose to let your anger go against your spouse. Anything you've been holding a grudge over. Anything you've clung to or tucked away... because living a life with hidden and pent up anger just means that it will come back to bite you later on.

Today's Dare

Whatever you've been holding on to, whatever grudge you've been carrying... let it go. Choose to forgive.

Reflections

What did you forgive your spouse for? How long had you been carrying this anger? How do you feel after letting it go?

3 comments:

Rachel Tamed said...

I think most people focus on only forgiving things that have happened in the relationship. It is an interesting perspective to consider that other grudges we hold also drag us down in our love lives.

HappyWifeHappyLife said...

Hey Liz - how are you? I pulled open this blog today (for the first time ever) and my eyes, like a LASER, immediately fell on "Whatever you've been holding on to, whatever you've been carrying... let it go. Choose to forgive." Wow. This is something I have really been struggling with. Long story, but here's the "cliff notes" version: my business recently tanked, in part because my business partner kept money from me that was owed to me. Basically, she was a thief.
LONG story, and it would be a long drawn out court battle to get it back... but it amounts to about $8K. I thought I had forgiven her (even though she is still 'hiding' from me, and of course has never admitted to this), but I find I still really harbor bitterness over the situation. Everyone in my family (and I mean EVERYONE) thinks I should sue. I do not. Forgiveness is a tough thing, but I know we are CALLED to forgive, as we too were forgiven.

I think it's no coincidence that I opened your blog and that sentence LEAPT out at me.

Liz said...

I really try to live life without holding grudges. And I can't think of any thing that I'm holding on to. I've worked really hard to get to this place where I've forgiven those who've hurt me in my past, to not carry that burden with me so that it impacts my relationships, my life.