Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Call For Love Devotion - June 14: Forgiveness - It's Just Another Part of Love

“It’s all for LOVE.” We have come together here on this page known as “Call for Love.” And yet some of us struggle with forgiveness. I’d like to think of myself as kind, generous, caring, and loving.

But Love cannot exist if there is still a need for forgiving someone. And that’s the hard part. In the Christian tradition, there is a prayer that says, "forgive us...as we forgive others." The message is that I have to forgive others before I can be forgiven. At first glance, it seems that, once again, we have to do something to be worthy of Love. But pondering further, we realize that we cannot open ourselves to forgiveness (and therefore Love) until and unless we have forgiven others. We have to get rid of all the baggage of hate, anger, resentment, grudges, and anything else negative before there is space in our hearts for our own forgiveness.

Robert Muller said, “To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.”

Michael didn’t say, Just any kind of Love will do. He didn’t say, It’s OK to love half- heartedly. He didn’t say, It’s all for Love just some of the time or for some people. He simply said, It’s all for Love. Period.

He sang, “You’re just another part of me.” When we can’t forgive others, then we can’t forgive ourselves either…because we are all part of one another.

If we are to truly love, as we are called to do, then we must be forgiving. All the time. To everyone.

Yes, it’s a challenge sometimes. Are we up to it?

We are not perfect, and I think the answer to that question for me is, some days moreso than others. But I keep trying. I hope you'll try with me. It's all for LOVE.

by Diane Foley
Copyright (c) 2011

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