RADIO: Forgive and forget! It’s good for your health

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Opening: Hello. I’m Beverly Goldsmith. Welcome to Spirituality and Health Connect – a weekly program full of tips and ideas to help you live a happy, healthy life. Today’s topic is, Forgive and forget! It’s good for your health.

It’s easy to say, forgive and forget, but it’s often hard to do. Yet no one wants to carry around hurt feelings or a grudge. What we want, is freedom from hurt – in other words to forgive and forget. Such forgiveness is not only good for the soul, it’s good for your health. So, here’s what to do when someone gets under your skin or rubs you the wrong way. Stay calm and employ the wisdom of the oyster.

Did you know that when something foreign gets inside an oyster’s shell, the oyster’s natural reaction is to cover it up – not try to expel it. This “covering process” protects the oyster. It also leads to the formation of a beautiful pearl.

The act of forgiveness is like a protective covering for the mind.  This “mental cover” isn’t to hide a hurt. It’s there to protect – to prevent a hurt from festering and spreading in one’s thinking. It stops it from bursting out into anger, retaliatory words or hurtful reactions.

Here are a couple of TIPS:

– When hurt, don’t keep chewing over what you ‘could have’ said or done.

– Instead, wrap layers of love and forgiveness around the person when you think of them and make a pearl – make something beautiful out of adversity.

FORGIVE, NOT EXCUSE.

The act of forgiving someone is not about absolving them of responsibility for their wrongdoing. Forgiveness, is about refusing to condemn a person, or to continually attach hurtful behaviour to them. Mercy acknowledges that each person has within them, a loving, good nature, and the power to change their thoughts and actions.

Here’s a example. A man called Saul persecuted others. One day he had an epiphany – a sudden realization of the wrong he was doing. His thinking and nature was transformed. He became a changed person and went on to do good things for others.   

So here are two TIPS:

– Mentally separate the wrong from the person.

– Condemn wrong when it occurs, but lovingly forgive the individual.

TAKE THE FORGIVENESS CHALLENGE.

Forgive and forget. It gets easier with practice. Think of forgiveness as a choice – one that you make, as being your decision. Or, think of forgiveness as a change of mind, where your attitude softens, and frees your heart.

Here are some TIPS.

– Think of someone who’s wronged you, forgive them, then move on.

– Give up dwelling on past wrongs. Forgiveness is about your peace of mind.

– Don’t keep a mental score of wrongs, or want to get even with someone.

– Forget past hurts. Erase them from your mind. Choose to forgive. Free your heart.

– Remember Alexander Pope’s words, “To err is human to forgive, divine”

– Give someone the gift of forgiveness. It’s a gift freely given and it’s good for your health.

Closing: Well that’s it for this week. For more tips and ideas to help you live a happy, healthy life, go to Soundcloud. I’m Beverly Goldsmith – practitioner and teacher of Christian Science healing. Thanks for joining me.