This is a very tough subject. Do You understand forgiveness? Acceptance? I’ve always had a difficult time with this one.
“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”
I learned about acceptance from an 82 year old woman with cancer…my Mother. We were discussing what she has been going through, and this is what she taught me.
The thing about messing up is that we all do it! So if you can’t forgive someone, how do you expect them to forgive you down the line? (And you know they will have to do that at some point.)
When you hold a grudge against someone, you may be hurting them, but in the long term, it hurts you even more. Not forgiving someone only harbors anger inside of you and when you can’t forgive, you hold that anger inside of you for the rest of your life. So who are you torturing…the one you can’t forgive, or yourself?
Forgiving someone doesn’t necessarily mean you have to continue to have a relationship with that person, it’s about knowing you forgave and you “let it go”. Whether you “make up” with that individual or not, is up to you. Is that particular person worth it to you? Nonetheless, be sure you accept the circumstance and don’t look back. It’s worth it to yourself to let go of the anger because when you do this, others take notice. So, if GOD forbid you wrong somebody intentionally or unintentionally, others will see how you dealt with your prior circumstance and do the same to you. We all screw up! That’s human nature. Forgiving is not easy, but it will give you a much longer, happier life.
My Mother has been through so much and through it, she has learned this, forgiving many people and being forgiven. She is a very wise woman and the best person I know.
