The Concept of Unconditional Love

What does Unconditional Love mean?

Dictionary.com defines it as: affection with no limit or conditions.

To me unconditional love means forgiveness. God sent his only son to die for our sins, so that we could be forgiven. To me that is the ultimate act of love.

I went to a 'Wind of the Spirit' retreat when I was a teenager and learned the best lesson of my life to date: Forgiveness is an action not a feeling.

This was another one of those light bulb moments for me. It was hard to grasp the fact that I could forgive without having to like it. I mean, what good is it to forgive if you really don't feel it in your heart?

The speaker, Mrs. Audrey Eddings, went on to explain that forgiving those that hurt us is the ultimate act of letting go. Without forgiveness you can never truly get passed the hurt that other's have caused you. That weekend I let go of baggage I had been holding on to for most of my life. And in doing so I felt a freedom I can't put into words. I would never again worry about passed moments of pain and sorrow. By forgiving I was able to find closure and move forward, instead of looking back.

God calls us to forgive others. And who are we to question that? Does holding on to that old grudge ever affect the person who hurt us? By forgiving you take the power back, instead of allowing that person to poison your spirit.

Here's another way I look at it: If we are unable to forgive, how can we ask God to forgive us?

So we should all try to put aside past hurt & petty differences. We should forgive and enjoy this time of year with a lighter heart.

'tis the season ~ Jazi