January 8th: "Contented people practice forgiveness."
We read Chapter 5 and the related discussion questions on pages 146-147.
We discussed how forgiveness is a gift -- to the person we offer it to, to ourselves and even to God. The latter was a new idea, that when we forgive others, it brings God joy and in that sense is our gift to God. We also appreciate REACH process of forgiveness, outlined by psychologist Everett Worthington:
Recall..the hurt you experienced as objectively as possible.
Emphathize...with the person who hurt you.
Altruism... Rise above your anger and choose to be altruistic and forgiving.
Commit... to the process of forgiveness; write down your commitment to forgive, even if you can't yet speak it.
Hold on... to the forgiveness even when painful memories arise.
Have you seen what the author describes as "the curved sword of unforgiveness" in action? How can refusing to forgive hurt you more than the person who wronged you?
We read Chapter 5 and the related discussion questions on pages 146-147.
We discussed how forgiveness is a gift -- to the person we offer it to, to ourselves and even to God. The latter was a new idea, that when we forgive others, it brings God joy and in that sense is our gift to God. We also appreciate REACH process of forgiveness, outlined by psychologist Everett Worthington:
Recall..the hurt you experienced as objectively as possible.
Emphathize...with the person who hurt you.
Altruism... Rise above your anger and choose to be altruistic and forgiving.
Commit... to the process of forgiveness; write down your commitment to forgive, even if you can't yet speak it.
Hold on... to the forgiveness even when painful memories arise.
Have you seen what the author describes as "the curved sword of unforgiveness" in action? How can refusing to forgive hurt you more than the person who wronged you?