Forgiveness, Wisdom of the Heart

There is no purpose in life greater than attaining wisdom of the heart.  Legends who have trod this earth through time immemorial tell us how important it is to attain poise.  It is life, it is blessing, it is insight, it is hope, and it is prosperity and abundance.  Even if we possess nothing physical, material, or tangible at all.

When we lose our composure, 
we lose the dignity that propagates 
the assured life where we are 
blessed as we are a blessing.

The reason attaining wisdom of the heart is so important is life is full of moments where we are infracted and are therefore tempted to REACT in ways that do not serve both us and others.  Wisdom of the heart is the central service of all humankind.

YET... a most important acronym.
The AA’s have it:
You’re.  Eligible.  Too.

We all get certain moments wrong.
We are all afforded such opportunities to learn.
And, there is no shame in learning.

~

LIFE AND WISDOM ARE *IN* THE RESPONSE

A basic knowledge of humanity 
is we CAN respond in humility.

Think for a moment of the responses of Viktor Frankl, Anne Frank, Wade Watts, Martin Luther-King, who all managed to quell their emotions enough in the belly of the pit of tyranny.  Or Saint John of the Cross, Joni Eareckson Tada, Helen Keller, Olaudah Equiano, or even biblical Job, who all suffered profoundly yet seemingly responded well, at least in the final analysis.

Consider these people.
Consider these human beings.
Capable of responding differently.

Whether it is always realistic or not to respond the right way, it is always a good objective to reflect and to revise our strategy.  It is never too late to repent.  That is, to change our tack.  If we have committed to an unsustainable path, all it takes is humility to admit we got it wrong.

We have power to turn away 
from that which does not work, 
that does not serve us, 
that does not serve others. 

We ALL hold this power.

Of course it is better by far to respond in humility all the way.  There are some situations in life where this is easy.  Other situations it seems impossible.  Most important, we need the capacity of forgiving ourselves, or receiving God’s forgiveness afresh.  Whether we respond well initially or not, we can be thankful for the humility that honours the truth eventually.  We can turn the wrong response into the right one in the blink of an eye.

WHAT IS THE WISDOM OF THE HEART?

In ancient times, the heart was seen 
as the seat of the emotions. 
All our reactions and responses 
emanate from the heart.

The opposite to the phrase ‘wisdom of the heart’ is the phrase ‘folly of the heart’.  Wisdom and folly are eternal and immortal concepts and were written about thousands of years ago, as the biblical Proverbs testify.

We have all engaged in folly.  We have all made decisions based in pride, anger, envy, etc.  But such is life, we all have many opportunities of ‘do over’.  We all get multiple chances to revise our strategies, to turn from our ineffective and inappropriate ways of dealing with things.

The wisdom of the heart is in essence the humility 
to see the truth and be honest with ourselves.

Wisdom of the heart redeems, refreshes, restores.

Wisdom of the heart helps us turn from folly.

I like to call it “pouring contempt on my pride,” per the words of the ancient hymn, “As I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”  The wisdom of the heart convicts our hearts when we are wrong, when we are embarking or travelling in the wrong way.

The wisdom of the heart in essence is repentance; 
that capacity to change one’s mind 
from wrong to right, from evil to good, 
from division to peace.

~

LIFE AND WISDOM – BLESSING UNTO BLESSED

The function of a human’s presence 
is blessing unto being blessed.

Life is instructive.  All of what we can perceive and thereby know is to be drawn within, even as breath of inspiration, for learning and response.  If something we see or know or feel or otherwise perceive seems good, we learn why, and then how to do it.  We replicate it.  Because it is wisdom.  If something we see or know or feel or otherwise perceive annoys us, we learn why, and then we avoid that way.  Because it is folly.

Our veritable function in this world, 
while our hearts beat, 
is that our hearts would beat for Him 
who is our Lord, Saviour, and King.

Our bodies, our minds, our souls, 
are to be a blessing unto our own blessedness. 

Blessing is our purpose. 

If we are anything else, we are a 
blight upon Him who gave us our lives.

FORGIVENESS: BLESSING UNTO BLESSED – A BENEDICTION

May it be for the human being reading this: 
blessing that they be and blessed as a result.

Blessing comes in no better, nor more pungent form, 
than through forgiveness, which I describe here 
as the wisdom of the heart.

The wisdom of the heart understands and accepts that for growth to occur there must be forgiveness, and that forgiveness itself is the important signpost of growth.  And how are we to forgive other than to work with accepting individuals and situations we cannot change—which is a basic element of maturity. 

Forgiveness is, in and of itself, 
a key indicator of resilience 
forged through the crucible of adversity. 

~

Forgiveness shows how the heart 
has overcome overtures to the hurts of life. 

Forgiveness is the equilibrium of life, 
taking post-traumatic stress and 
making it post-traumatic growth. 

~

Forgiveness is the necessary foundation stone 
for a life of blessing: blessing unto being blessed.

~

BENEDICTION
May it be you, in your deepest, wildest hour, 
who, having traversed untold myriad adversity, 
stands tall in the face of what has been, 
sits gently with what has been done, 
considering it all, and smiles,
for you have forgiven.