Forgiveness

Heart Of The Heart Of The Matter” by Don Henley

I got the call today, I didn’t wanna hear
But I knew that it would come
An old true friend of ours was talkin’ on the phone
She said you found someone
And I thought of all the bad luck,
And the struggles we went through
And how I lost me and you lost you
What are these voices outside love’s open door
Make us throw off our contentment
And beg for something more?

I’m learning to live without you now
But I miss you sometimes
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I’m learning again
I’ve been tryin’ to get down to the Heart of the Matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore

These times are so uncertain
There’s a yearning undefined
…People filled with rage
We all need a little tenderness
How can love survive in such a graceless age
The trust and self-assurance that can lead to happiness
They’re the very things we kill, I guess
Pride and competition cannot fill these empty arms
And the work I put between us,
Doesn’t keep me warm

I’m learning to live without you now
But I miss you, Baby
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I figured out, I have to learn again
I’ve been tryin’ to get down to the Heart of the Matter
But everything changes
And my friends seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore

There are people in your life who’ve come and gone
They let you down and hurt your pride
Better put it all behind you; life goes on
You keep carrin’ that anger, it’ll eat you inside

I’ve been tryin’ to get down to the Heart of the Matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore

I’ve been tryin’ to get down to the Heart of the Matter
Because the flesh will get weak
And the ashes will scatter
So I’m thinkin’ about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore

For your consideration……

Certainly there are a lot of songs about forgiveness but I think we are being given this song today for a couple of reasons.

First it reflects gut retching emotion in searching one’s soul. It reflects the honestly in looking at a relationship, seeing it for what it is and was and finally concluding that the only way forward is forgiveness.

The second reason we are given this song is because it implies that is forgiveness applied to the entire “heart of the matter.” That means that we must not only forgive others, we must also forgive ourselves.

We talk a lot about “turning the other cheek” and being generous with our forgiveness towards others. We talk about forgiving ourselves much less. But the reality is that it is equally important. To achieve balance in life, we need both forgiveness of others and forgiveness of self. It is absolutely necessary to move forward towards our life purpose.

That is the HOPE. And so it is.

Bit by bit, piece by piece, HOPE by HOPE action steps anyone can take……

-Meditate/pray…forgive, bless and release what no longer serves you.

-Drink lots of water.

-Get outdoors and take in at least 10 deep breaths. Breath in Spring. Breath in the excitement of Mother Earth waking up.

-Release what brings you angst sooner than later.

What made me smile yesterday……

-I had some terrific students.

-One of my student’s excitement about going to Virginia today to meet his sister’s Navy ship coming into home port.

-Finally hearing from Alex.

-Catching up with Jackie.

-An early bedtime.

Love, Blessings and Gratitude,

Rev. Chris