HELLO MI NEIGHBOUR | Stop the hurt ... forgive quickly!

Hello mi neighbour! We are back on the hot topic: FORGIVENESS, today! Why? You see, forgiveness is the number one ‘hurt stopper’ for the emotionally bruised, and about 90 per cent of these persons are not aware of this cure. Most times, emotional hurt originates from the intentional or unintentional actions of others. It might be the result of an insult, a disappointment, a betrayal, a regret, grief, loss, and so on. Advert: Stop the hurt. Forgive now!

Emotional hurt manifests itself in deep sorrow, depression, isolation, panic, rage, sadness, or even madness, and the likes. You hardly want to hang around people who display these emotions, especially if you are stuck – unable to address their condition or provide some sort of thearapy. The recommended treatment: professional counselling or medication sometimes doesn’t help. Where do we go? Keep going.

FORGIVENESS NEVER FAILS

Those who care may offer prayer on the sufferer’s behalf. Where prayer doesn’t seem to make a difference, forgiveness never fails. Or better yet, the offer of forgiveness often releases the answer to our prayers. Forgiveness is POWERFUL!!

Forgiveness is often defined by those who offer it as a “deliberate decision to let go of feelings of anger, resentment, and retribution toward someone who has wronged you”. It’s like being offered the prison key to set yourself free. If you have never experienced the joy of forgiving yourself or someone else, you are missing out on one of Earth’s sweetest joys.

The joy of forgiveness, first of all, comes from receiving forgiveness of one’s sins. It brings the kind of peace that steadies the nerves in the midst of some of life’s raging storms or hottest battles. It’s more than a cushion. Forgiveness makes you more empathetic and compassionate towards those who hurt you. Forgiveness resuts in win-win outcomes everytime: forgiver and the forgiven are set free. Wanna experience perpetual joy? Forgive perpetually.

Stop the HURT. Forgive quickly!

WE MUST FORGIVE OURSELVES TOO

While the emphasis is normally placed on forgiving others, there are times when we must forgive ourselves. A few days ago I did something against my better judgement and ended up with ‘a-could-a-beat-miself’ feeling. Know that kind of feeling? Knew that you should not have done it, but you did it anyway, and now regretting the decision. Cannot shake the resultant remorse? What are you gonna do now?

Whenever we make mistakes, we must learn the lessons that they teach, forgive ourselves, and move on. This is so critical to our happiness and overall enjoyment of life! Self-forgiveness is not about letting ourselves off the hook, nor is it a sign of weakness. The farthest thing from the truth is to suggest that forgiveness is condoning wrongdoing. No way!

Hope you will find the following useful as you move to self-forgiveness. By

· Understanding our emotions

· Accepting responsibility for what happened · Treating ourselves with kindness and compassion

· Expressing remorse for our mistakes

· Making amends where necessary

· Focusing on making better choices in the future

The process of self-forgiveness has been egaged and you will certainly have some much-needed fun!

So my neighbour, if:

ü Life constantly dishes you dirt

ü People are always geeting on your nerves

ü You cannot see eye to eye with others

ü You would like to enjoy a better relationship with your partner – forgiveness may be the answer you’ve been looking for. Give it to yourself and others and your story will never be the same. Forgiveness is a ‘hurt stopper’.

KINDLY HELP SOMEONE FROM LIST BELOW

1. Two neighbours are in need of a freezer, each, to assist with small chicken-rearing businesses

2. Five unemployed neighbours, St Andrew, are asking for assistance with food.

To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 876 649-9636 or deposit in acct #351 044 276 NCB. Alternatively, send donations to Hello Neighbour C/o 53 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; Paypal/credit card: email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.