Taking Out The Trash

Just when I think that I have it all figured out, life throws me a curve.  In the last ten months, since I got the call to help my  mom, I began a journey of reflection and forgiveness.  To my surprise,  I discovered that forgiveness is not so much about the relationship, or the other person. Forgiveness is about setting ourselves free.  It is more like taking out the trash.  The trash still exists, we have simply moved it to another place so it cannot pollute our living environment.

We humans are imperfect beings so it is inevitable that people will hurt us at some point in time.  Sometimes the hurt is intentional and sometimes  it is because  two people will look at same situation and see things from a different perspective but, if we carry the pain of the past  with us everywhere we go, we  risk becoming a prisoner of our own pain and resentment.  My first step in the forgiveness process was to give people room to be human, to make mistakes, and  to be who God made them to be.  Just like the garbage in my trash bin, my past has not changed, I have simply  moved it to a different place so it can no longer pollute my spirit.

 I think that sometimes we are reluctant to forgive because we don't want to be hurt  again  but forgiveness and trust are two separate animals.  Forgiveness does not mean making ourselves vulnerable to someone who could cause us harm.  Forgiveness is simply the house cleaning process of letting go so past hurts no longer have any power over us and, as a result, it frees us to enjoy the present moment.

I read once that everything in life has a purpose and that nothing in life is wasted.  There must be truth in this because some of my greatest life lessons came from times of adversity.  Since great lessons can come from those painful times, I suppose that this is a form of recycling the emotional garbage in such a way that yesterday's waste does not block the path to a future of purpose and happiness.

"One man's trash is another man's gold."
Unknown

http://vimeo.com/52711779

The link above is  a short documentary video about a town in South America that literally sits on a landfill. They took what others considered garbage and recycled it into something amazing. This video reminded me that there is potential for good in everything and that the potential for beauty is everywhere. Everything begins with our perspective and the end result depends on what we do with the garbage that is left behind.