THE REALITY OF FORGIVENESS

Many of us struggle not so much with understanding the message of forgiveness, rather, living in the reality of it.

Forgiveness is not easy; at least not when you are the wronged one. However, it is important to live in the habit of forgiving because as sure as day and night, you shall be wronged. Keeping in your heart a bucket full of un-forgiveness will eat at you, and many a times the person who wronged you, whether they are in the knowledge of their offence or not, has moved on. It is you; the wronged one who hasn’t forgiven that suffers.

Sorry, a word well known but rarely made use of is one that the proud and those of us with big ego’s know not of, yet it is a word that heals and mends broken hearts, if sincerely used. It neither belittles the user nor gives the other an upper hand in the issue in question; it is merely a healing word.

Our inability to accept the reality of forgiveness is a reason we have the practice of confession. We need to confess in order to heal and be changed. Confession means saying that somewhere in the mix was a choice, and the choice was made by us, and it does not need to be excused, explained, or even understood. The choice needs to be forgiven; the slate needs to be wiped clean.

May we remember that each of us falls on either side of the battle at one time or another; the offender and the offended and we therefore need to be in the habit of forgiving and confessing; a lifelong habit.

We all have logs in our eyes, sometimes even something the size of a canoe and this makes our ability to perceive accurately be affected. We have to see our sins through new eyes; we need to see them through the eyes of those whom we have sinned.

Includes excerpts from John Ortberg.