Though life brings adversity, some of it caused by others, our quality of health is affected by how we respond to it. We can nurse resentment over it and think about it often or we can choose to reject the negative thoughts about it and forgive those who hurt us. Forgiveness is soothing balm that benefits not only the forgiven one but most importantly ourselves.

BAGGAGE

One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes. to school. For every person we'd refused to forgive in our life experience, we were to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of our bags became quite heavy.

We were then told to carry this bag with us where every where we went for one month, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work. The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying emotionally and physically, and how we had to pay attention to it all the time in order not to forget leaving it in embarrassing places. Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime.

This was a great metaphor about unforgiveness and negativity. Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, but it is clearly a gift to ourselves.