Originally Posted by
Brandon Mccaghren
Forgiveness exists. Love exists. Giving exists. Mercy and grace and joy and peace and happiness... They exist. These things just are. These attributes are out there in the atmosphere, in their purest and fullest form, just waiting to be drawn in with my every breath.
And here's the incredible thing about them: they will be uncovered in my life in direct proportion with the amount that I give them away. They are there, under the surface, inside of me and inside of all of us, begging to be revealed and longing for those moments of release.
Love is. But I don't get this until I love.
Mercy is. But I don't receive mercy until I demonstrate it.
Forgiveness is. It just is. But I can't feel it and know it and be it until I live a life of forgiveness.
Happiness is. It just is. But it's my decision to be happy and to make others happy that ultimately gives me the smile on my face and the warmth in my heart, and that undeniable feeling that things really are more than just ok.
It's frightening in a way because forgiveness and mercy and all of those things that make the world a better place for my children are so difficult to give away to some people some times. But I gotta give it away. I gotta be forgiveness. I have to become it.
The beautiful news, though, is that this idea is so empowering. It really is just a decision; a decision to see and to feel and to be something bigger and stronger than I thought was possible. Even in the face of sorrow or pain, happiness is mine to take hold of. I gotta be happiness. I have to become it. Well... I guess I don't have to. Neither do you, really. But I choose to.
I choose to reach out and grab it. Here's to hoping you will do the same today. And tomorrow when it's time to make the same decisions again. I choose to do my part, and I choose to be a friend to you while you do your part. And eventually, things change. And the world improves. And the smiles and the laughter become more frequent. You deserve to be loved, no matter what you've done, and so do I. Let's peel back the layers and discover all the things we were meant to be.
Choices. Life's full of em.
