"To truly forgive someone means that I let go of being better than the person who offended me. It means letting go of being righteous in favor of being loving."
Aileen O'Donoghue, "Living Faith"
Wow...I had to read this a few times this morning before it sank in! After some serious thought I had to agree. When we are hurt by someone we can take on a victim mentality that gives us an upper hand. We can be elevated and the other person brought low. There can be a comfort in being the injured party--it may give us a free-pass for anger or bitterness and allow us to laud our victim-ness over others. But genuine, loving forgiveness levels the playing field and makes all equal again. And isn't that what God would want after all? The forgiveness that Jesus teaches, such as the Prodigal Son story, is just that genuine. The Father restores the Prodigal Son's place in the family, much to the chagrin of the Older Son. I believe true forgiveness, then, is restoring us to fullness of relationship, not hanging onto a one-up-manship because you did this to me. We are asked to forgive and restore. Not pretend to forgive and hold it over your head for years to come. That is quite a difficult task, but one we are asked to do. Love, heidi
No comments:
Post a Comment