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On forgiveness:

1) Forgiveness is when you set the prisoner free, only to discover that the prisoner was you.

2) Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel of the one who has crushed it.- Mark Twain

3) Anger does more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than on any person on whom it is poured.

4) One of the hardest, yet most liberating things that a person can do is to open their heart and release their right to be angry.

5) Pain is physical and often cannot be avoided. Conversely, suffering is a conscious choice.

6) One cannot experience a sense of community if they are incapable of putting the needs/feelings of others above their own.

Community is found in self-sacrifice.

1) Suffering at it's core is the direct result of unmet expectations. We expect someone to respond in a certain way, (often without them even being aware of our desire) and when we do not get the expected response we are devastated.

2) No one or no thing can 'make' us feel a certain way. We are the ones who set the emotional channel of our hearts. If our response to a certain stimulus is out of control, that is an emotional discipline problem on our part.

3) EVERYTHING that comes into our lives is neutral. It is we who give it the value of being either good or bad.

Example; Joseph addressing his brothers:

Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

I myself have learned that we do not overcome our fears or our sufferings by attempting to outrun them. The only way to be truly free is to stop running, turn around, face the monster and finally embrace it.It is only in this way that we can gain ownership and power over our sufferings and fears.