“True forgiveness is when you can say, ‘Thank you for that experience.’”
~ Oprah Winfrey
Every troubled relationship, every misunderstanding with another, every unfair or unjust act is an opportunity to learn more about God’s love and care that is bigger than any woe that comes our way. Seek out the blessing, grow with God, and become a better person.
Oh THANK YOU EVAN! This says it all, and, added to the post on the gentle art of blessing, fills my need. Just plain wonderful.
I guess the only way is up. I know that when I am moved by mortal mind there is lesson to be learned and a path to freedom opens up for me to recognize.
The timing of todays message is truly a miracle for me. Thank you so much.
Brilliant quote! We all learn from bad experiences sooner or later and to learn not to make the same mistake again is great, so, yes we can be thankful for many unplanned or unwanted experiences . Sometimes it even helps us to make someone else more aware and therefore save them from that experience. To be grateful for that lesson learned is the best.
It just so happens I was thinking about this type of experience yesterday and praying to understand when it was that I would be truly healed of a negative interaction. The thought came to me that I would be healed when I could be with that person in times of trial and feel blessed to be there for them and witness our wholeness within Divine Love.
Just beautiful, and so true. Thank you, Evan!
Thank you Evan and Oprah! I have been learning that everyone who comes into my Life – every Relationship I have – brings me a Gift! It is my Job to find the Gift and to let myself Grow from it. Otherwise, I can just sink into Resentment and Anger and never grab the opportunity to Grow Through the experience. We either “Go Through” or “Grow Through” every Life experience. I am choosing to Grow! Love to All!
Evan, your thought and Oprah’s, have been proven in my life experience. Having had a mother that didn’t want me and all of the negative experiences of my childhood, certainly made me a better, more thoughtful and caring person, and definitely a better mother to my only child. I’m so deeply grateful for the beautiful relationship I’ve had, and am having, with my daughter. And I owe a debt of gratitude also to Christian Science and to God for guidance. Divine Love is indeed all powerful!
Thank you Evan. Always I learn something following your blog. It is the first time I realized that I should be most grateful to whoever seems to give me a problem because I know God is Love and I, being his daughter, can only love.
I don’t exactly agree with this saying, reason being, if I had a loved one that had been murdered, I believe that yes, you should try to get to the point of forgiving this person. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself – (another saying that Oprah has mentioned) but I’m pretty sure I won’t be going around saying that I’m thankful for the experience.
Thanks Evan for your daily thoughts. This one just hit me the wrong way.
Hi Debbie,
My sense is, that the “experience” you would be thankful for is not the evil that happened, but the grace you grew into from it. Few of us ask for evil to come our way, but unfortunately, in the human experience, it does, and we have to deal with it the best we can. I find it most helpful when I can master it with a forgiving state of thought rather than a dark resentful thought that has other bad consequences. But I can see what you mean! How you read it affects how you interpret it. Thanks for commenting!
Oh this is a big ask Evan! But I have never thought about forgiveness like that and it is making me reassess just how forgiving I am. So thank you for this blog!