"It is as important to give forgiveness as it is to receive it. On both sides of the equation, you know you are enjoying a life and power not your own. Forgiveness given(unearned) and forgiveness received (also unearned) are always the pure work of uncreated grace."(R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p.343)
I was the most struck in this quote by the parenthesised word unearned. Most of the time we know about earned forgiveness. Someone asks me to forgive them, suddenly ball is in my court, will I or won't I. If I ask for forgiveness, I may or may not get it, and there may be strings attached.
I do think it is easier to accept forgiveness than it is to give it. And how much harder when it hasn't been earned, not even by something seemingly so simple as saying "I'm sorry."
Most of us have probably been hurt substantially by someone at some point in our lives. They may not even be aware of how deeply they hurt us. Yet the only real healing will come from forgiving them, whether they've asked or not.
It is also true that it is very hard to move past one's own mistakes without being forgiven. It is doubly hard when we've said how sorry we are, and are still spurned.
I wonder if there are people that I still have yet to forgive, even if I think I've moved on. I wonder even more if there are folks I need to be forgiven by. All I can do I suppose is be ready to give or receive when the moment presents itself.
Blessings,
Ed
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment