Without forgiving the offender, we are into self-justification and into seeking the support of our friends for our position against the “rascal”. When we don’t deal honestly with our own faults, we always find it necessary to rationalize our own behavior while demonizing our adversary. When we rehearse the old hurtful stories with another person we always tend to feel the same emotions we felt the first time. These retellings make it harder to “let go” and hold to our intention to forgive. It is perhaps a place we should not revisit with ourselves, much less anyone else. When I keep coming back to how right I was and how wrong the offender was, have I yet forgiven? I have found personally, (confession time) that it is not in my best interest to “go there”.
Father, thank You that you keep no records of our past sins. You have sent them as far as the east is from the west. Help me to be more like You, dear Lord. Amen!
