Lent 2013

Friday, Second Week of Lent

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him...They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him.  Genesis 37: 3-4, 18

How can someone ever trust in the existence of an unconditional divine love when most, if not all, of what he or she has experienced is the opposite of love ~ fear, hatred, violence, abuse?

Because they are not condemned to be victims!  There remains with them, the possibility to choose love. Many people who have suffered the most horrendous rejections and been subject to the most cruel torture have been able to choose love.  By choosing love they became witnesses not only to human resiliency but also to the divine love that transcends all human loves.  Those who choose, even on a small scale, to love in the midst of hatred and fear are the people who offer true hope to our world.

Action:  Resolve today not to play the victim or to feel sorry for yourself, but instead to choose to rise above the hatred in your life.

Visit The Forgiveness Project today and be inspired by some people who have chosen love and forgiveness over hatred and victimization.  Keep the Kleenex handy.