Running towards the finish line....

So, I signed up for the Shamrock run again!! Yep, I did.. :) March 13 I will do the 15k one more time, in an effort to beat my time from last year. You see, I am not competitive against others, but my own time... so, I will run the 9plus miles, four of which go up a hill, then you go down... This year, though, I am part of a large team of folks from Mac taking on the Shamrock, so that should make for a fun after gathering!!

Next up....

Mac Triathlon. yep, I have not signed up for this.. but I will do so soon. May 21st, the McMinnville Parks and Rec Sprint Triathlon will be my first Triathlon... and I am looking forward to this..

Then, in August....

216 miles from Diamond Lake to Bend, Oregon... It is a 12 person relay team event, with each member doing 3 legs, ranging from 5-8 miles each. Uh, whose idea was this? this invovles van rides, sleeping in strange places, running at odd times, etc.

Then... Lets see... in September we have the Warrior Dash and Pints to Pasta... :)

Who knows what is between now and then... but atleast I am signed up for events that will keep me going, keep me motivated and keep me active... and a bit sane.

Forgiveness...

One of my relatives had this as their face book status recently:

Many times we withhold our forgiveness as a punishment to the one that hurt us. But, by doing so we are only punishing ourselves. Forgiveness is not a free pass to the offender; rather, it frees our hearts from the anger caused by hurt. An unforgiving heart is a hardened heart and, like an old, dried up sponge, a hardened heart is unable to soak up God’s love.

Forgiveness is a funny thing. Anger is even funnier. As a counselor, I have come to recognize that anger often is a secondary emotion, and is what comes out when we are hurt. Often we are "angry" at the person who has hurt us. However, what does this anger do? Does it change the other person's behavior? Does it make you feel better? No, No. It sits on your heart. It weighs on your soul.

I have had the conversation about forgiveness often with one of my sisters, and the concept of "letting someone off the hook". I know in my heart, that carrying around anger only hurts me. It is not changing anyone else, nor helping me move forward. It serves no purpose other than to bring more unhappiness into my life. Forgiveness does not excuse anything. Ultimately, why not forgive? Why not let it go? I have heard that the person does not deserve to be forgiven. Hm.... Didn't God give us this ultimate gift that none of us deserve? He sent His Son, to be alive with us and then to die for us? Did we deserve that? No, it is called Grace. God's great grace. No way can we ever earn that.

So, why do we feel so righteous that we will demand others to earn our forgiveness?

Currently, I am in place where I am looking closely at the concept of forgiveness, and balancing it out with accountability. You can forgive someone and hold them accountable, can't you? Either way, I think that what also speaks highly is the manner in which we move forward with this forgiveness and accountability. Responding to a sin by acting sinfully is wrong.

But how do we help those whose hearts are so hardened that they cannot see the path to forgiveness and just bring negativity where ever they go? Perhaps we do not help them. Perhaps we just lead by example and choose not to allow their toxicity to impact you. Not sure how to do that always, but it seems worth a try.