I was thinking about forgiveness the other day, I guess because I was privy to a particular incident, and several others I have known about over the years. This kind of information is not often known, because people don't usually talk about it. I came to the conclusion that people don't forgive, they get even. Perhaps not in the Hatfield and McCoy way, but even nonetheless. Except for kids; people do forgive their kids. Maybe that's why God can forgive us, we are children. If we were on par with Him, maybe he wouldn't be so forgiving! ;) No doubt that is why that multiple gods thing didn't work out so well.
I've concluded that forgiveness really is a key part of a happy life. I'm trying to teach my children that because I see it can play an integral part in our family cohesiveness. At this point it's very minor things (he broke my legos!) but you have to start somewhere!
ReplyDeleteYes, forgiveness is a key part of a happy life. And maybe I am really musing about the definition of forgiveness. The Hatfields & McCoys could never reach that plateau of peace, happiness, and forgiveness perhaps because there was never a possibility of "enough." Or, as I say, of "getting even." Getting even is somes times years even decades in the making, so it can be hard to trace. But watch your kids and see if first comes the retaliatory hit, or the tattle telling, or the pouting, or the withdrawing then after a sufficient time (and methods) of getting even, life returns to normal. But the balance sheet of the experience is recorded somewhere deep, or not so deep in the brain. "Does not keep a record of wrongs" is an ideal to strive for, and certainly the admonition helps quiet our revenge inclinations; it instructs us that we SHOULD return to peace or normal, but the reality of it is almost never achieved. But being able to get even and then continue with peaceful relations is a good thing. (Certainly better than a 100 year war. The trouble with wars is that the pain is so deep, getting even is almost impossible without continuing the cycle.) Perhaps that is what forgiveness is.
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