Dec
12 Gifts for Christmas: Forgiveness
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A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, “How do I know you won’t sting me?” The scorpion says, “Because if I do, I will die too.”
The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown, but has just enough time to gasp “Why?”
Replies the scorpion: “It’s my nature…”
When you forgive you don’t forget that the other person is a scorpion, nor do you pretend that they aren’t. They are who they are. When you forgive, you are releasing yourself from whatever anger, resentment, hurt, or pain you have wrapped up in the situation and the person so that you can move on with your life.
Today, give yourself and 2 other people the gift of forgiveness.
In Spirit,
Nneka
December 10th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Short and sweet Nneka - but yet a powerful reminder. Thanks!
Cheers,
Albert | UrbanMonk.Net
Modern personal development, entwined with ancient spirituality.
December 10th, 2007 at 10:12 am
That’s a really great and clear way of putting it. But what does that mean when the person (or rather, the scorpion) begs for forgiveness and vows never to sting the frog again? Should the frog forgive the scorpion and give it the trust it wants? Or should the frog just forgive without expecting anything?
December 10th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Hi Jen, a scorpion is a scorpion. That’s the moral of the story. Forgiveness is a free gift. You just release yourself and the other person from whatever expectation you had and move on. They don’t have to give you anything in return.
Hope that helps. It’s not an easy thing to do, just an easy thing to say. It is extremely freeing though
In Spirit,
Nneka
December 15th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Powerful lesson here.
When we don’t forgive it only hurts us yet if we forget that the other one is a scorpion we could allow ourselves to get hurt again later.
Let go but remember “They are what they are”
Thanks Nneka
December 16th, 2007 at 11:03 am
[...] From Nneka at Balanced Life Center a short but wise post 12 gifts of Christmas-Forgiveness [...]
December 26th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
[...] Remember that forgiveness does not mean allowing that person to hurt you again, you can’t trust a scorpion, but you can forgive them for what they have done in the past and then not allow them to do it again. [...]