Forgiveness

I used to approach the idea of forgiveness with a "suck it up" attitude.  After all, the past is the past, and it should not have any bearing on the present, or the future either for that matter.  I must admit, that is an incredibly naive and pretty harsh view of the subject. I have come to learn that forgiveness is difficult for the simple matter that it offends every one of our sensibilities.

The natural pull of our hearts when something has been taken from us to get even, or to make it right.  The problem is this; getting even is not a zero sum game.  Someone always feels like more was taken from them. Truthfully, getting even is an impossibility  We must each come to grips with what was lost, realizing that it is well, lost.  Forgiveness is about acknowledging that the offender cannot pay us back even if they wanted to.  It is about making a choice to cancel a debt that is owed and making room for the grace of God to come and help create a future where there might not otherwise be one.

I have come to believe that one of the quickest way to receive the grace of God for myself is to extend the mercy of God to someone else, and the quickest way to lose that grace is to withhold that same mercy.