Forgiveness. The most powerful act of love.

Have you ever said..."I don't hate anyone.  The only person I would ever hate is someone who killed someone I loved or something terrible like that..."

Shall I eat my words?  Or shall I concede that these people are much better than I am?  Or shall I simply  accept that one does not know what he or she would do until the situation is theirs to respond to?

I think the latter is how I try to be in most situations.  I try not to make judgement, or I judge with the caveat that I am unsure of what is best, not being the person affected.

I am feeling humble right this moment.  Remember that first statement?  I've said it many times in my life.  That, or similar things, and now I have reason to question my judgement on that, too.

It is easy to think it is right be angry and hateful toward a person that does wrong and shows no remorse of comprehension of wrongdoing, or feeling of guilt...but how might you react when the other person recognizes his or her guilt, profound inhumanity, and is ashamed of the actions that he or she did?

I hope that I would even be half as gracious, loving, and humble to recognize the humanity in the other person.  I hope that I would be strong enough to put love and peace above all other sentiments, seeing that continued negativity would leave two broken people in a life of sadness and pain instead of two healed people at peace.  I hope that the world can see the example that I just read about.  Rwandans who, alone or in groups, raped, hunted, and slaughtered men, women, and children were given the chance to receive classes on forgiveness and humility in their prisons or in their communities.  Then, the people whom they made suffer from their actions were offered forgiveness at the choice of those whose actions caused such destruction, and they did the miraculous...the unanticipated (until now)...they forgave them.  They let their wounds heal by accepting the past and choosing to love over continuing to be empty or hateful.

I am in awe.  

I have learned something new.  

There is no limit to forgiveness.  

There is no ceiling to how terrible an act must be to be unforgivable.  Everything in this world is forgivable should forgiveness be requested and meant.  It is not just some "otherworldly" gesture that is spoken about in religious doctrine.  It is something that we hold within ourselves should we choose to live and to love freely in this lifetime.

Live and love freely.  Choose forgiveness when it is asked of you.

Make peace with yourself.  With your past.  With wrongdoings.

The world is brighter today 

because these Rwandans have done the impossible and it is no longer impossible.  

It is love.