Description
Forgiveness is the glue that holds relationships together. All human beings are imperfect and fallible. We will all hurt people and be hurt in the life at some time. Ideally most all relationships could heal under most all circumstances. Unfortunately we all know that it doesn’t always turn out that way.
There are many reasons for not forgiving another, pride, fear of being hurt again, revenge motive, the offender not deserving forgiveness, or not asking for it. The problem is that if I don’t forgive someone it is my stomach lining that is churning, not theirs. I hurt myself more than the other person by not forgiving them.
If both parties involved in a situation forgive each other the door opens for the possibility of healing or reconciliation. It is usually not easy, takes time, humbling, and must be nurtured. Sometimes one chooses not to forgive and ends the possibility of reconciliation.
You will likely have few REAL friends in a lifetime and sometimes even less close family members.
I encourage you to pray, think long and hard, and ask yourself if the loss of one of them is worth your pride, ego, fear, or resentment. Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily stop the consequences of one’s actions but it does lesson the tension in your stomach. My encouragement is for you to be the first to offer forgiveness, then it is up to the other party to decide to reconcile, not you.
Use this card to…
- Challenge yourself about the value of meaningful, albeit imperfect, relationships
- Motivate yourself to be proactive to healing relationships
- Force yourself to evaluate the importance of your pride, ego, and resentment
- Clarify the importance of forgiveness to you
