Forgiveness, as a concept, is something that I struggle with. Normally when somebody upsets me, I let it go immediately. And that’s where the problem comes in. When somebody deeply hurts me, I don’t understand what it means to forgive. What does forgiving entail? Does it mean you still speak to the person, spend time with them, act as if nothing happened? Does it mean you forget what they did? Or do you simply say, I forgive them, and all is well? I have struggled with this on a couple of occasions, when the people who were closest to me wounded me; I couldn’t understand what it meant to forgive. I desperately wanted to forgive them, because harboring anger wasn’t hurting them, but it was slicing me apart day by day. I asked everyone I could think of, what does it mean to forgive? Nobody could give me an answer. Eventually, over time, and prayer, the wound in my heart healed and became nothing but a tiny scar. It doesn’t hurt anymore, but it does sometimes itch. I know that over time, at some point, forgiveness happened, but I don’t know how or when. I was recently overcome with the desire, almost need, to speak to an old friend whom I felt had wronged me. I only now realize that it means that I finally forgave her. But again, it begs the question- how did I forgive her? When did this happen? And, what do I do now? So I am asking anyone who is reading this- what does it mean to forgive someone? Is it an instant thing, or is it just something that takes time? After you finally do forgive them, what happens then?
