We've all seen in the movies and tv shows. The ones where when someone has been wronged, they get this super sweet moment where they get back at the one who hurt them. A moment that always seems to play out perfectly. They tell the person off and reveal to the world their true colors. It's so sweet and victorious. They get their closure and life is finally complete.
....Sorry to burst your bubble, but that is not normally how it goes down in the real world.
I feel everyone is looking for that satisfaction and waiting for that moment. That moment where they will finally feel like they're even and the world is fair. We want to think that we're better off without that one friend or that we're winning in that one breakup. In reality, we're really just caught up in the past and letting it affect our lives in the present.
When I first started writing this article, I wanted to tell a story about how it's easy to forgive and forget about getting revenge. That I was capable of it and that anyone can do it. But I don't want to cover up what forgiveness actually is. I just want to be real with you. Forgiveness is hard. It's a very difficult thing to do.
I think it's a misconception that forgiveness is a feeling. It's not. Forgiving is a decision. Forgiveness is a choice. You're either going to put in the effort to let it go and move on or you're not. And this takes work. It's not just an overnight thing. Like anything else in life, it takes practice and patience.
"Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on." - Chris Jammi
We need to remember that we ourselves are not perfect people, and we have hurt others. We need to remember that the one who has wounded you might also be wounded.
If as people we are called to love others, that doesn't mean SOME others. It means everyone. Everyone includes those who have put us through pain and suffering. So be slow to anger and quick to listen.
My friend Jesus isn't really into this whole revenge thing (thank goodness). What he likes is this idea of forgiving people. He said to love your neighbor as you love yourself. And I think that if we all had the opportunity, we'd like to be forgiven by those who we've hurt. But that might just be me.
