In my weekly pursuit of the ABCs of Life, I found myself skipping a week because the letter "F" is a BIG ONE. The letter F is for Forgive. By definition, forgiveness means to grant a pardon or to cease to feel resentment against, among other things. Those are mere words. In my mind, forgiveness has always been a divine action. When we forgive, it brings us closer to God. Forgiveness can take time and it also takes effort. It's not something to rush, but as much as a struggle as it can be at times, when we forgive wrongs that have been done to us we are rewarded by the feeling of peace. I've always thought that that feeling we get inside when we truly forgive, truly let go, it is God's way of patting us on the back, of telling us that we've done right. If He can forgive us, surely we can find ways to forgive each other.
Practicing forgiveness is not something that I can only focus on for one week, but walking through my days this week with forgiveness in mind has given me an unexpected calm. Letting go of the weight of resentment opens up life to joys that can't otherwise get inside our hearts. It's an exercise to practice daily. The benefits are divine.
4 comments:
Oh boy, this is a BIG one for sure. I'm struggling with forgiveness. And how do I forgive and yet still protect myself from someone who hurt me and very well may again?
this is a great topic, forgiveness. i have found that it is sometimes more freeing not only to forgive those who have wronged you, but to forgive yourSELF for allowing it, enabling it, or ignoring red flags. yes it is a deeply generous gesture to forgive others, but forgiveness of self can be as profound, and sometimes, it's the only way you can really move forward.
my .02
CH - Forgiveness and trust are two very different efforts.
Anon - Good points. I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks for your input.
I know you can't practice forgiveness for just one week, but to even just think about it, and consider it, and find any peace it can bring you, for this one week, is a gift to you as well. But I know you, and I know this is not a fleeting assignment for just one week. This one is always with you (before and after this experiment).
-sdhb
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