“There are no good reasons not to forgive others because, regardless of how others have behaved, if we don’t forgive them, we’re only hurting ourselves. We’re only perpetuating our own suffering. We think we’re punishing others when we withhold forgiveness. We think we’re beating them up with guilt and shame. However, the ironic truth is that, because of the nature of projection, it is ourselves we’re attacking. It is ourselves we’re punishing. It is ourselves we’re keeping in an emotional prison.
The only way to put an end to this self-punishment is to stop punishing others with our harsh judgments and to forgive them instead. Consequently, every day we remind ourselves that we are determined to forgive others for our own good. Every day, we remind ourselves that we are determined to forgive others for our own self-esteem and success. Every day we remind ourselves that we are determined to forgive others because not to do so may be gratifying to our petty, selfish, frightened ego, but will forever keep us from the life we want.”
Walter E. Jacobson, M.D., in “Forgive to Win”
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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.
