The Forgiveness Flower

One day a missionary was walking along a trail in East Africa with friends when 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 find where the smell was coming from. Then his friends told him to look down at the small blue flowers that were growing along the path. Each time they crushed the tiny blossoms under their feet, they released more of their sweet fragrance into the air.

They went on to explain that it was called "the forgiveness flower" because 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 and richly every time.