November’s Theme: Forgiveness
As poet Edwin Markham approached his retirement years, he discovered that the man to whom he had entrusted his financial portfolio had squandered all the money. Markham’s dream of a comfortable retirement vanished. He began to brood over the injustice and the loss. His anger deepened. Over time, Markham’s bitterness grew and grew. One day, while sitting at the table, Markham found himself drawing circles as he tried to soothe the turmoil he felt within. Finally, he concluded, “I must forgive him, and I will forgive him.” Looking again at the circles he had drawn on the paper before him, Markham wrote these lines,
“He drew me out - heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love had the wit to win
We drew a circle to take him in”
Markham wrote hundreds of poems, but these lines were his most well known.
I learned this story from Victor Parachin, a congregant, Disciples minister and meditation teacher who lived in Tulsa. Parachin writes, “As he forgave, a tremendous act of creativity was released within Markham. The poets and mystics among us have long known and declared that the act of forgiveness releases great healing power.”
Knowing that forgiveness is never about reconciling, forgetting, excusing, or condoning bad behavior, I invite you to reflect on the following questions:
Who did I need to forgive? Why? What would help me take the next step?
Remember that forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. A former inmate of a Nazi concentration camp was visiting a friend who shared the ordeal with him. “Have you forgiven the Nazis?” he asked his friend. “Yes,” the friend replied. “Well, I haven’t. I’m still consumed with hatred for them,” the other man declared. “In that case,” said his friend gently, “they still have you in prison.”
With elections around the corner, forgiveness feels like a high bar. Nevertheless, I’m asking myself how forgiving could help me heal my own heart and help us draw our Fellowship circle in ways that allow more people to enter and belong.
