Is it easy for you to forgive? Over the years, it's been easier, but there are just hurts that cling to me like gum under the shoe.
Sometimes, I find myself replaying the hurtful experience and fastening on to the painful memories. There's something about feeling good playing the victim. Psychologically it also feels good to see the other as the villain.
But then every time I pray the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus himself taught us, I know I have to move forward.
One way of moving on is to realize that we are far from perfection. This allows for humility to set in. Another way is to realize that God loves us the same way he loves our supposed perpetrator. We can also put ourselves in the wrongdoer's shoes, and hopefully, we can get a glimpse of his(her) perspective and understand what happened from his(her) point of view. Finally, it helps that if we still cannot forgive, we should ask for God's mercy and grace to embrace us.
Below is a story of how a beautiful soul hung on to her faith, turned a very public one-sided feud into a beautiful ending that only God can give.
My name's Anna Maria, and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! (Day may change due to holidays.) Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel free to share your story of grace here.