The Forgiveness Flower

I read this to the students this morning while dealing with the subject of forgiveness. "One day a missionary was walking along a trail in East Africa with some friends, he became aware of a delightful odor that filled the air. He looked up in the trees and around at the bushes in an effort to discover where it was coming from. Then his friends told him to look down at the small blue flower growing along the path. Each time they crushed the tiny blossoms under their feet, more of its sweet perfume was released into the air. Then his friends said, "We call it the forgiveness flower." It does not wait until we ask forgiveness for crushing it. It does not release its fragrance in measured doses. It does not ask for an apology; it merely lives up to its name and forgives-freely, fully, richly."