"Forgiving does not mean forgetting. When we forgive a person, the memory of the wound might stay with us for a long time, even throughout our lives. Sometimes we carry the memory in our bodies as a visible sign. But forgiveness changes the way we remember. It converts the curse into a blessing. When we forgive our parents for their divorce, our children for their lack of attention, our friends for their unfaithfulness in crisis, our doctors for their ill advice, we no longer have to experience ourselves as the victims of events we had no control over.
Forgiveness allows us to claim our own power and not let these events destroy us; it enables them to become events that deepen the wisdom of our hearts. Forgiveness indeed heals memories."
(Henri J.M. Nowen, in "Bread for the Journey")
Jonah found that forgiveness was hard work ... in fact, as I read Jonah, my sense is that he is still working on forgiveness at the end of the story. When someone has wronged you, forgiveness takes immense amounts of grace along with being able to acknowledge the hurt.
Who do you need to forgive? You know.
My prayer for you today is that God's Spirit will fill you and open your heart to move into a healing place of forgiveness.
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