Forgiveness
I have been wanting to talk about a so-called success story for a while. Well, actually...it IS a success story. For God.
Okay. Enough intro. Here's the deal. When I was eleven, I became friends with a girl from my church, Victoria. We had always known each other, and I can see now that she wanted to be friends with me way before I gave her the time of day. To make a very long, painful story short, we began to literally fight after about a year and a half. When I was twelve, things got very tense, and by the time I was thirteen, our friendship was all but over. At the time, I blamed her. But later I realized that it all stemmed from my immaturity and jealousy (over a boy, of course!). Eventually, we quit talking. Period. It was like a physical wall was between us, and other people could tell that we were at odds. When I was fifteen, I made an attempt to fix things. I had gone to counseling for anger issues, and learned a lot about friendships. I convinced her to meet with me during the church service. We got along fine, but she made absolutely no effort to actually resolve our problem.
I was hurt, but I backed off until earlier this year. I talked to Connie (our pastor's wife) and decided to write Victoria a letter. Connie gave her blessing and prayed for me while I wrote and rewrote the long letter. I gave it to Victoria. She seemed receptive. I waited two months. Nothing. Finally, I messaged her on Facebook and found out that she wasn't going to answer the letter. I was crushed and a little angry. I told her (more in anger than in respect) that she wouldn't be bothered by me anymore. Well, I lied.
About two months ago, I was able to work on some internal issues that had been leaving a lot of scars. I forgave some people and gave Victoria one more try. I met with her for about two minutes one Sunday and basically asked if we could wipe the slate clean. She said yes! This is going to sound like a commercial, but I feel so NEW! Now we are on speaking terms, and it isn't awkward at all that she has sat by me at least twice in Sunday School. Yeah, I notice those things. My memory picks up some weird stuff. :)
This is totally not what my post was going to be when I started this morning, but I don't care. My message for you is this: Forgiveness IS possible. I quite honestly did not believe that this friendship could be healed (not fixed...healed.) but it was. God is so good...and He has shown me the power of letting go and allowing Him to heal wounded hearts. I am forever grateful for His mercy.
Okay. Enough intro. Here's the deal. When I was eleven, I became friends with a girl from my church, Victoria. We had always known each other, and I can see now that she wanted to be friends with me way before I gave her the time of day. To make a very long, painful story short, we began to literally fight after about a year and a half. When I was twelve, things got very tense, and by the time I was thirteen, our friendship was all but over. At the time, I blamed her. But later I realized that it all stemmed from my immaturity and jealousy (over a boy, of course!). Eventually, we quit talking. Period. It was like a physical wall was between us, and other people could tell that we were at odds. When I was fifteen, I made an attempt to fix things. I had gone to counseling for anger issues, and learned a lot about friendships. I convinced her to meet with me during the church service. We got along fine, but she made absolutely no effort to actually resolve our problem.
I was hurt, but I backed off until earlier this year. I talked to Connie (our pastor's wife) and decided to write Victoria a letter. Connie gave her blessing and prayed for me while I wrote and rewrote the long letter. I gave it to Victoria. She seemed receptive. I waited two months. Nothing. Finally, I messaged her on Facebook and found out that she wasn't going to answer the letter. I was crushed and a little angry. I told her (more in anger than in respect) that she wouldn't be bothered by me anymore. Well, I lied.
About two months ago, I was able to work on some internal issues that had been leaving a lot of scars. I forgave some people and gave Victoria one more try. I met with her for about two minutes one Sunday and basically asked if we could wipe the slate clean. She said yes! This is going to sound like a commercial, but I feel so NEW! Now we are on speaking terms, and it isn't awkward at all that she has sat by me at least twice in Sunday School. Yeah, I notice those things. My memory picks up some weird stuff. :)
This is totally not what my post was going to be when I started this morning, but I don't care. My message for you is this: Forgiveness IS possible. I quite honestly did not believe that this friendship could be healed (not fixed...healed.) but it was. God is so good...and He has shown me the power of letting go and allowing Him to heal wounded hearts. I am forever grateful for His mercy.
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