Forgiveness the Ultimate Miracles

This is the best book on the topic of forgiveness. I've read over 20 books on the topic and find this book to be the most practical and most helpful of all. Chapter 2, for example, outlines what forgiveness is and is NOT! What an eye openener! I loved it and have read it many times. If you breathe or if you have parents, you need to read this book.

Paul Meyer's book is an excellent treatise on how the inability to forgive can cripple an individual's outlook on life. At the same time, he does not recommend that offended persons allow themselves to be door matts. Forgiveness does not include giving up your values. If charges need to be brought, bring them, but forgive the individual for what he did to you. If money is owed, try to collect what you can, but give up the resentment that so frequently goes with the scenario. You don't have to continue the relationship, but you need to forgive. In the more usual situation, where you may need to forgive someone (probably not out loud - just to yourself), the offender usually isn't even aware of his thoughtlessness. Carrying around the perception of an insult only hurts the carrier. The author was blessed with a mother who forgave everyone and a father who never forgave anyone. Other than that he was a good father, but it was clear to Meyer when he was a teen which parent had the happier life - his mother. He decided at that time that forgiveness was the way to go. Meyer was a hard worker, was good with people, made his first million by his late 20's, and has made countless millions since. His book is filled with examples where forgiveness - both withholding it and dispensing it liberally - has made all the difference in his own life and in the lives of others. In the first chapter, Meyer states that that his book was written, not from an academic or theological perspective, but from a personal perspective. It is bad for you, personally, to carry around grudges and resentment. He follows through effectively on the last part, but religion is a major part of this book. If you cut out the pages where God and/or Jesus were mentioned, you would probably lose at least half the book. He may be splitting hairs about what constitutes "theology" and he may consider his religious outlook as part of his personal perspective - but in addition to the good practical advice he gives about how damaging it is to collect and carry around negative baggage about others, the book is definitely religious. Some of the examples are a little too pat; some of the forgivers - missionaries to dangerous places whose family members have been killed, yet they stayed on and forgave - have a perspective so different from mine, I can't quite relate. But overall, Meyer gets across the message that lack of forgiveness is bad for you. Specifically, the people who need to forgive each other the most often are in your own family (again, most of the time, you don't need to do this out loud). If you find the right spots, Meyer is giving this book away. My wife found two hundred or so copies of it at a Sunday morning church service and took 15 or so to distribute to relatives and friends. I must give him a "5" for altruism and his good, practical advice despite my criticisms.

I recently was betrayed by my wife and have been struggling with certain aspects of forgiveness. As usual the Universe stepped in and I was given this book by the gentleman that does my hair. I was skeptical at first because Im not really a strict christian. I do believe in Christ but not the entire story of the bible etc. This book is actually very light on Christianity and very profound on forgiveness. It offers practical step and many persoanl stories about triumphs concerning forgiveness. Definitely recommended reading.