Forgiveness is a tricky thing. When someone has hurt you over and over and over again it’s hard to set it aside. The more you let it fester the deeper the pain becomes and the more difficult it is to let it go. There have been many men in my life that I feel have ill-treated me. They betrayed me and taken advantage of me time and time again. What’s more their actions have affected my son, which seems unforgiveable. I love my son more than anything in this world, and to know that he has been hurt, breaks my heart. Forgiving the people that have done wrong by my son is far more difficult than forgiving them for the wrongs by me.
Over time I have learned that the burden of unforgiveness weighs on me to a much greater degree than it does the other person. While at times it has consumed me, they have walked by completely unaffected. My life is the one shaken, not theirs.
This year I have made a Pre-New Year’s Resolution to forgive all those who I feel have done wrong by me. While this isn’t easy, I want nothing more than to go into the upcoming year with a clean slate, that I may enjoy every second, and build new relationships while nurturing old ones. Forgiving these people doesn’t mean that what they did was okay, I’m simply choosing not to let it affect me anymore. This time of year is focused on giving. Instead of harboring resentment towards those who have hurt me, I am choosing to give them the gift of forgiveness. I am learning more and more to stand up for myself in these situations, so that perhaps they will occur less often, but in the meantime, I am content with knowing who I am. You can choose to enter the new year with anger and frustration, or you can choose to start over and forgive those who have hurt you. The choice is up to you.