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Forgiveness Is a Gift, But Does It Need to Be Spoken?
Who is owed what isn’t always clear.
Today we watched one of the greatest moments of forgiveness, the likes of which I can’t recall having ever seen. Brandt Jean, the 18 year-old brother of Botham Jean, spoke forgiveness to the woman who killed his brother. Then he hugged her.
It was a beautiful act of mercy and strength, compassion and empathy. This is forgiveness in its most pure and raw state.
Still, it’s left me conflicted.
For me, forgiveness tends to be a quiet, solitary act. It often takes me a while to get there and when I do it’s from a road I’ve paved with my own soul searching that had little to do with any words or actions on the part of the forgiven.
Because of this, I question how much forgiveness needs to be spoken and how much we should just let rest. How much of the act of forgiving someone is for us and how much is for the forgiven?
I’ve forgiven a lot of trespasses but there is still some forgiveness I can’t seem to give. Oddly, this feels like my burden to carry not the person who I feel I should forgive. The weight is heavy.
