"Weight Loss
And...Forgiveness?"
2004 by Dr.
Frank B. Smoot, MA, DD
www.CoachFrankSmoot.com
While many things that others have done to us can be impossible to
forget, they are not impossible to forgive.
To "forget" that something traumatic has happened is to live in
denial, and to say in essence that it never happened. But
forgiveness is a very different thing. The true beneficiary of your
forgiveness, first and foremost, will always be you.
By the same token, the one person who is guaranteed to always suffer
from your unwillingness to forgive will, again, be you. So you see,
in reality, forgiveness has little to do with the other person, and
everything to do with you.
To forgive someone does not mean that we must walk up to them and
say "I forgive you." They need never even know--which is a good
thing, as they are often dead by the time we're ready to forgive
them.
Forgiveness is a private act, a conscious choice, based on
the awareness that we ourselves have been the one suffering because
of the absence of our forgiveness. To forgive is to say,
"OK, I
have been hauling this burden around long enough, and I have
paid a high enough price already. This wasn't rightly my burden
in the first place, and I only picked it up because I didn't
know I had a choice. Now, at last, I see that I do have a
choice--nay--an obligation to lay down this wearisome burden. I
owe it to myself to release once and for all what never should
have been mine and, by heaven, shall never again burden my
shoulders. I deserve better! And now I'm going to get it!"
Once we really "get' this, it becomes
just a matter of time until we are willing to forgive anyone for
anything. Really.
So, knowing this, the question becomes not, "Shall I forgive," but
"How soon shall I forgive?
Following this logic to its natural conclusion, the next question
is, "Since I now know that I will eventually forgive this person,
why wait? Waiting equals suffering. I am no longer into that. So
I'll just do my forgiving now.
Right now.
As Jesus said, "There. It is done."
What does any of this have to do with
weight loss? Quite a bit, actually. It's the hurts we can't -- won't
-- let go of that weigh down our spirit...metaphorically...and
ultimately our body...literally.
Yours in total health,
Dr. Frank
_______________________________________________________
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Dear Friend - If you'd like to slash months, years,
or decades off the time it takes to
reach your personal goals,
or just get the truth for a change,
please visit my success coaching
web site at
www.CoachFrankSmoot.com or send me an email at
DrFrank@CoachFrankSmoot.com or just give me a call at
540-567-2050.
And don't forget to inquire about your FREE 30-minute "sample"
coaching session. Is it your turn for
success yet? If so, I'm ready
when you are! Yours in total
health, Dr. Frank B. Smoot, MA, DD
_______________________________________________________
Dr. Frank B. Smoot, MA, DD, is a professional weight loss
success coach and the creator of the "Get
Motivated For Life! /
7 Weeks To Lifelong Weight Loss"
and "Weight Loss God's Way"
success program (www.WeightLossGodsWay.com)