Struggling with Forgiveness? You’re Not Alone.

Forgiveness can be a tough nut to crack. It is something that needs to be processed on a deep personal level and, oftentimes, revisited. It’s a sacred act within. So, if you are struggling with forgiveness, you’re not alone.

 

Forgiveness is a messy mix of vulnerability and self-sacrifice and these two things are hard to come by nonchalantly. Even with focus, it is a difficult, delicate, and a complicated combination to conjure.

 

It is certainly not something I have mastered, but something I seem to trip over endlessly. I fumble with it and drop it like a football. I pick it back up again and wonder if I’ll ever become good at this.

 

In the trenches of our soul we do our deep personal work, and in many ways, forgiveness is an act of personal bravery. For, to forgive, sometimes we must enter the darkest of human tragedies and feel the pain of it.

 

This is when I cling to Psalm 23:

 

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 13:4 NIV

 

When I face the truth, feeling ultimately alone and scared, Jesus joins me in that solitary place. As Jesus takes my hand, His presence gives me the bravery to move forward through the muddy, haunting darkness. I am both guided and comforted through the mess.

 

The Practice:
This is how I make the journey. I hand every single agony, slight, hurt, large and small, to God in prayer. One at a time, or sometimes in a great big torrent. I do this until the poison of unforgiveness is gone. If it comes back up again, as it often does, I drop to quiet knees and repeat the process all over again.

 

In the fight of doubts, I choose–in faith–to lean into God’s promise that he will use EVERYTHING for my best good.

 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 NIV

 

Photo by Toa Heftiba @Unsplash