Forgiving others — Part three
The words I am about to write are my own. I have no intention of imposing my opinion on anyone. I only wanted to give you insight into my own personal journey of forgiving others. I hope and pray that there will be aspects of this story which will resonate with you in a profound way.
Forgiving others has been a challenge for me in the past. Non-forgiveness has led me into a place of brokenness and feeling unstuck. I regret dwelling in that place of closure, isolation and woundedness. It is only when I started walking that slow journey of forgiving others that I was able to move forward to the new season of my life and open up to the “new” — new relationships, new opportunities and a new future. My struggle to forgive others in the past has left me feeling like a crushed flower. It was only when I took that decision to forgive, that I was able to open up slowly to other people and to gradually start to trust. Do you know that when I forgave, the memory of the hurt slowly dissipated? It was no longer at the forefront of mind. It no longer consumed my thoughts and ruled my emotions. It’s as if the memory that upset me packed its bag and left town. I became free.
Now I have reached a stage of my life, that I am quick to forgive. It’s not easy. My mind gives me a million reasons not to forgive that other person. I draw comfort on this scripture from the word of God from Matthew 18:21–22, when Peter says to Jesus, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister, who sins against me? Up to seven times? I love the way Jesus responds when he answers. ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times’. His response is answer to the inner struggle we face, when we go back and forth daily with forgiving and not forgiving someone.
Over time, it has become easier for me to forgive others because I see the benefits of doing so. I see how I feel lighter and not weighed down by the baggage of negative emotion. I see how I feel free and have become wiser. I see how over the time, I am able to put the matter behind me and I am no longer frustrated by the issue which previously which upset me. I am able to move forward in my calling. I have already personally experienced how destructive unforgiveness can be. I don’t want to go back to that destructive place again. Besides, if I hadn’t fully forgiven, I wouldn’t be here talking to you about this same topic.
