The Hunchback of Unforgiveness

The concept of forgiveness can be defined on a vast scale due to the fact that many people have different opinions on the matter. Some see forgiveness as an easy task to do whilst others can’t handle the thought of letting go. What I may find plausible to forgive, another person might hold a grudge to.

Recently I have had to deal with several circumstances which have tested my patience and brought about an unforgiving character which I didn’t realise I had. Looking back on such events made me ponder/consider as to why some situations in our lives leave us forgiving whilst others don’t. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as to 'grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt.' I personally would define forgiveness similar to having a new book and not wanting to bend the pages. This is because I don’t necessarily forgive to grant the other person pardon; but rather for myself, as having an unforgiving sprit creates a lot of animosity; it’s even proven to disrupt your health and daily routine as well as your state of mind. My days already consist of a hectic schedule so I chose forgiveness because I’d rather have peace. It may sound selfish in fact quite frankly it is. Over the years my stance on forgiveness has changed, as my parents would tell you when I was younger forgiving people came very natural to me, but due to previous situations my forgiveness is evident but so is me forgetting you whilst remaining civil. Most of my friend’s would class me as weak or naive due to the fact that I refuse to hold a grudge and remain tolerable with a person. Most of the females I know hold grudges to kingdom come like you wouldn’t believe, whilst I find my male friends are more prone to making you suffer but also willing to forgive. This brings me to my main reflection...I know it’s not just me whose seen it but why especially amongst females is it easier to forgive your partner or any guy but you hold on to the unforgiving spirit towards females? This made me question how I view my own gender as I’m just as guilty of committing it. Yet given the opportunity we except forgiveness from another person. What is it about another female that makes us want to erase them out of our lives or delay forgiving them? I find when applying this to my life it’s because I expect my female friends to know better in certain situations but now I realise it’s better to tell a person what could offend me rather than expecting them to read my mind.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: The saying treat others how you want to be treated definitely comes to mind. When we do wrong against others we find it hard to understand why they refuse to forgive us and make us suffer, yet we apply the same manner when forgiving ourselves. This contributes to the lack of faith in believing that God will forgive us for our sins when we as humans are use to an unforgiving world, which is turn leads us to a state of depression and lack of peace. Unforgiveness is the hunchback that stops you from standing straight living a life free of woes.