Forgive = Love = Change

I often wonder what on earth goes through my head all night when upon waking there is either a song running  through or I’m composing a blog post.  With this one the possibilities are endless. End-less.

Merriam-Webster: to stop feeling anger toward (someone who has done something wrong) : to stop blaming (someone); : to stop feeling anger about (something) : to forgive someone for (something wrong)

The act of forgiving is an act of Love, of charity. It means I care enough to actively not be ruled by my feelings of hurt and anger – justified or not. Forgiving allows me room to breathe, to be patient and kind. Asking to be forgiven is challenging as it asks me to recognize fault on my part, that I’ve wounded another person with or without intention. Seeking to be forgiven means I’m willing to get to of a sense of pride, an attitude of “I can not possibly be wrong here” and take the posture of being the persons equal.
Forgiving leads to peace. Asking to be forgiven leads to peace and a deeper sense of “we’re all in this together”.

When I posted Pearls the other day – I’d recognized a couple of things going on in my own heart that needed to be dealt with in a loving way. I needed to own the impatience, the lack of charity on my part, the hurt that this was causing. I’m not being hard on myself – I’m being honest with myself in a good way, a healthy way. In a way that has the opportunity to set an example for what to do rather than what not to do. Recognizing and owning my impatience allows me the opportunity to be a better teacher and friend. Recognizing my own impatiences allows me to just be with a person rather than thinking that I’m better than that person.
This leads to something that is even more difficult for me: standing up for myself and setting healthy boundaries. Yes one leads to the other. By moving out of my own way I am able to let someone know what’s bothering me. By letting them know that I’ve failed they know I’m coming to them with a heart that is open and receptive, that I will actively work on being more patient allows the relationship to grow.

Part of what lead to this conversation was one with my sweetie asking me where does “forgiveness” live in all of this. Explaining to him that my patience was non-existence at this point was tough because I knew what he’d say. I knew that he would lovingly ask me the tough questions and remind me that, “it’s not all about you, ya know”. Yeah, I know. I’m not the center of the universe. (D*mn it!)

Where does this lead in the quilting world? I can go in so many directions with this. However, I’ll just say that even in the quilting/sewing/crafting world we need a huge dose of the “I can forgive this”, “I can let this go”, “I can be kind in this situation” or “I can handle this privately without making a huge deal about it”. “I can be a leader and lead down a good path”
As a quilter I can remember that I have a seam ripper, I have more fabric with different colors and textures and I have choices. If something isn’t working for me I can change it.

God bless!

Teri