FORGIVENESS

I’m only 16 but lately I can’t stop thinking of this one word- FORGIVENESS. When I was 7 years old, my dad hit my sister on the arm with a metal bar, breaking it. Now it was my fault the bar was there as I was playing with it, just that morning. But I was a child so I was forgiven in the eyes of “GOD”. Now the standard of where I was living was not great and my mum wasn’t taking good care of us. This doubled with the attack by my dad meant that I was then put in care with my sister for 1 year before moving to live with my aunt and uncle. I have still not forgiven my parents for what happened. My dad died about 4 years ago from a heart attack. I learnt that he had remorse and this made me feel bad, as I hadn’t seen him since the accident at the age of 7. I had never forgiven him and as a result he drank and drank and wasted away inside the house he lived in. now I’m not saying that he should not have been punished but forgiveness is different. I found it really hard then but now all I want to do is forgive him but I can’t, as he is not here. I’m not trying to suggest that if you have been hurt that you should forgive, as it is the hardest thing you can do. But remember you justice is not the same as forgiveness. If you forgive them then you get a burden lifted off of you. There are conditions of course, if it was done deliberately, then forgiveness is even harder, but if it is an accident that surely you would want somebody to forgive you if you were in there position. There is also the key idea of whether they felt any remorse after the accident and whether it affected them. Some people are truly evil and don’t deserve forgiveness, but if they do then give it to them before it is to late or you will have a burden forever. Remember just because you have forgiven them, it doesn’t mean you have to not want them to be punished.