From the Heart
Oh the places you’ll go …
But you need to leave the ugly baggage behind. In other words, forgive and forget.
Wait … can you seriously forget? The truth is … no.
We remember the words, over and over. Our hearts will never forget them and we are never the same.
We were made to feel like we were not enough. We believed in someone. We took them at their word.
A friend. A spouse. A boss. A pastor. Family.
Betrayal has many looks, none of which are pretty.
“I’m sorry,” no matter how sincere, does not erase the hurt.
Promises are broken. Words cut to the quick of the tenderest places in our heart.
You say, “But Janet you don’t understand!”
Hold my coffee!
Oh, but I do. My heart has the scars and my mind has the memories.
So how do we move on? When can we begin to even consider forgiveness?
What if the person never asks for forgiveness? What do we do with that?
Forgiving someone never means what they did was okay. It wasn’t. Read that again.
The truth is that forgiveness is not so much about the offender but the offended.
Forgiveness is making the decision that what they said or did will not define us. We will no longer allow it to wake us up in the morning or tuck us into bed at night.
Forgiveness is a decision we make over and over until we realize what was done to us does not consume us.
Is it ever easy? Well, it hasn’t been for me. I’ve had a few not-so-church-lady-like thoughts.
Sometimes forgiveness has taken years for me to complete. There were times that anger would show up out of nowhere. I would have to remind myself that I would no longer allow someone to control my thoughts and feelings.
I would remember how far I had come. I would tell myself … nope, not going there.
I remember reading that forgiveness allows you to let go of something you were never meant to carry.
Over the years forgiveness has been given quicker because I know that life is too short to waste my time and effort on people or things I cannot change.
I’ve even been able to pray for them. Oh yes, let’s just say that was way down the road on my journey. Way down.
And oh, the places I’ve gone. Let’s just say that I’ve gotten new luggage and I’ve packed it well. The load is lighter and makes traveling through life much easier … and happier.