It’s sometimes difficult to feel love when someone has hurt you. And sometimes it’s even harder to feel forgiving towards them. So, today at lhcb.org, I want to just touch on this topic.
The word “love” gets tossed around like a ball. Most people will say that they “love” someone – or even some THING. “Oh, pizza for dinner? I LOVE pizza!” Uh huh. Or, “I love you.” But, most people rarely stop and think about what love really is. The word itself means a lot of things to different people. But, if you truly feel love for someone, that means that no matter what they do or did, you can accept them and feel a goodness towards them without any need or want for reciprocity whatsoever.
Which brings up the idea of forgiveness. “Oh, I love him, but I can never forgive him for what he did…” We are taught that in order to fully live and love, we must GIVE. The old, “must give before we receive” type of thing.
This means that life IS about forgiveness. Life is “for giving.” Only in giving can you receive. You cannot receive that which is not given, and the only person who can begin that cycle is you.
I would like to talk about this further, but will wait for now. But, just know that you must give and forgive in order to feel love. Practice forgiveness on someone that has hurt you, and as you are sending thoughts of forgiveness, think of the feeling of love. It will help more than you know.