Here’s some thought-provoking questions for today: why do we all enjoy music so much? What exactly does it do to us? Most people would say because it makes them happy. And that is certainly true. But why? Probably because music is upbeat, inspirational, or makes us want to move to the beat.
But deeper than that, it is because nearly every single piece of music or song is about love. Have we ever heard of music that spews hate? Not very likely. Who would listen to or buy that kind of music? Of course, someone may have heard some pretty bad and distasteful lyrics once upon a time, but it is not the cultural norm by any means. It is not uplifting. It doesn’t make one want to scan their playlist or turn the radio on in the car.
Bringing Out Our Best
We know love has certain qualities we all want to experience. Like patience, kindness, hope, trust, and protection. What we don’t want is anyone in our life that acts with envy, rudeness, selfish pride, and anger. Unlike hatred and an unforgiving nature, love always brings out our best.
In our previous relationship, particularly towards the end, we probably suffered enough hatred on both sides to last a lifetime. It affected everyone; our spouse, our children, our extended family, friends and, of course, ourselves. Hopefully, we have given ourselves enough space and time to physically move on. But we may still be feeling the emotional pain. We now need to give ourselves a break from all that hostility and hatred.
Sometimes, the anger that remains is there because we haven’t given ourselves the gift of forgiveness by forgiving him. Remember, forgiveness is not condoning what he did. It’s not saying it was o.k. to act that way. It’s just acknowledging the person for who he is, accepting that a person is able to change with or without our input, and extending love above our own feelings.
Forgiveness is for us. When we choose to act with love and kindness, we will avoid more and more hatred. Our heart will begin to heal and won’t continually be wounded over and over. We will catapult into a life of happiness, joy, and love. And then, we can experience love in the future without any residual effects from a previous relationship.
What Can We Do Now?
Learning to love with forgiveness in our pockets expands into all our other relationships. Is the world not experiencing this lack of love right now? What would happen if we gave our neighbors, co-workers, and relatives the benefit of the doubt? How would it change things if we stopped and found out what is going on in their world? We might be shocked. It might even break our selfish hearts. Who is for a little peace and harmony?
"Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses" Proverbs 10:12 NLT.
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance" 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT.
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