Forgiveness is a release. I love birds. I love to watch them in flight; I love to listen to them singing; I love their beautiful colours and I love to feed them. One of the things that I often find so cruel and unnecessary is to see a beautiful bird locked up in a cage, or for that matter any animal caged or tethered to a stake in order to restrict its movement. The cage or chain becomes a prison, which limits or stops the animal from doing what comes naturally to it; what it is meant to do. Most of the time I find the cruelty is not so much in the cage or the chain but in the animal’s desire to be free. It is often the same with some people, especially those who are harbouring resentment and unforgiveness.

Unforgiveness is like a chain or a cage that imprisons people; it makes them angry, bitter and resentful, and those feelings usually fester until they get out of proportion and completely overwhelm the person. In a nutshell, unforgiveness holds you back; it restricts you and limits your potential. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is a release: it is like opening the cage and freeing the chains that restrain you. Forgiveness allows you to soar again and become the person that you are meant to be. So, if you are harbouring resentment do yourself a favour and let go of it. It really doesn’t matter what others may have said or done, life is too short to let it or them hold you back. Forgive, forget and be free to move on again.

R. Ian Seymour