Henri Nouwen Reflections

I subscribe to the Daily Reflection from www.henrinouwen.org which often provides great food for thought. This particular one resonates with my personal journey - it is not until we have experienced the grace of being forgiven ourselves that we understand what a sacred gift it is to give others. I hope this reflection resonates with you too - if it does you may like to subcribe to their daily reflections too.
Cheers
SB






Receiving Forgiveness

There are two sides to forgiveness: giving and receiving. Although at first sight giving seems to be harder, it often appears that we are not able to offer forgiveness to others because we have not been able fully to receive it. Only as people who have accepted forgiveness can we find the inner freedom to give it. Why is receiving forgiveness so difficult? It is very hard to say, "Without your forgiveness I am still bound to what happened between us. Only you can set me free." That requires not only a confession that we have hurt somebody but also the humility to acknowledge our dependency on others. Only when we can receive forgiveness can we give it.