Carla L. Rueckert

Write this word deeply into our consciousnesses: forgive! We are bound to develop desires, and to use our will to seek after those desires, whether they be for things worldly or hallowed, for possessions, attributes or the lack of them, and as we achieve our desires, we will find the side effects of each and every one. We will wrong others, for the most part unintentionally, but still, we will err, and others will wrong us, whether they mean to or not. We generally are simply moving too quickly, and judging people and situations too hastily.

The thing to hold on to in forgiving is that most often the people who are hurting us do not know what they are doing. In fact it is fair to say that none of us knows the impact of our actions in relationships, at least for a lot of the time. We are all unaware of our power to hurt and to heal.

When two people who love each other cannot come into agreement after substantial discussion, it is perfectly appropriate to agree to disagree without raining judgment down on each others_ heads. For most people, there are some entrenched beliefs and opinions which will not change, regardless of persuasion or coercion.