One of the keys to having peace in your family relationships is forgiveness. Your relatives are simply doing what they’ve been taught to do over a lifetime and the lifetimes of their ancestors. Shower them with understanding and forgiveness from your heart.
This passage from A Course in Miracles says it all:
“Do you want peace? Forgiveness offers it. Do you want happiness,
a quiet mind, a certainty of purpose, and a sense of worth and beauty
that transcends the world? Do you want a quietness that cannot be
disturbed, a gentleness that can never be hurt, a deep abiding comfort,
and a rest so perfect it can never be upset? All this, forgiveness offers you.”
What is forgiveness after all, but a willingness to be kind? More than that, forgiveness is knowing.
• It is knowing that the other person is not aware of the force.
• It’s knowing that the other person is a product of many generations of separation from the force.
• It’s knowing that deep down the other person does not want to be angry, unkind, or destructive.
• It’s knowing that you don’t always have to be right.
• It’s knowing that winning an argument is losing the relationship.
• It’s knowing that forgiveness and kindness are God’s messages.
• It’s knowing that the meek shall inherit the earth.
• It’s knowing that when you do an act of kindness or forgiveness your serotonin level in your brain increases.
Serotonin is the body’s way of strengthening your immune system and makes you feel good. Imagine an act of forgiveness can make you feel good and prevent you from getting a disease. Not only will you feel good, the recipient of your act will also feel good. Try forgiveness and kindness. They are better than any medication known to humankind.
Today’s Exercise: Call up someone in your family who you haven’t spoken to in years and say, “Hi, I’ve been thinking about you.”
Today’s Affirmation: I am loved, because I love.
Points to Ponder: Forgiveness is but a willingness to be kind.
