Forgiveness Case

It is extremely hard to forgive someone who has hurt you very deeply, but it is possible. It takes immense courage to forgive someone that has caused lots of pain in your heart. Forgiveness is an act of love and kindness that causes huge burdens to be lifted. When you can forgive a person you also let go of the grudge you have held against them, and that alone can set your spirit free. I have been hurt many times by others, and sometimes it takes me a while to forgive someone. My heart will not let me harbor bitterness for too long though, and eventually I do forgive. A few years ago my best friend Toni wounded me so deeply that I was almost unable to forgive her. We had been friends since kindergarten and were very close. I never thought she was capable of doing what she did to me that day. In order for me to be able to love her again I had to set aside my feelings. I had to swallow all the hurt she caused me. Being able to forgive her was a tremendous act of non-judgmental love.

To begin, I have always made a conscious choice to forgive others. I have forgiven many people over time, and others have forgiven me. I am a Christian, so I firmly believe Jesus forgave me when He died on the cross that day. That means I also have to have a forgiving heart just like Jesus, and not hold onto bitterness. I know I will have a peaceful soul if I can let go of whatever pain and hurt my heart holds. I do not like having a hardened heart. It took me two long years to overcome and learn to forgive Toni for what she did to me, and my marriage. A long time ago, my husband and I lost our 3rd born child. Branden was a beautiful baby boy that was stillborn at 33 weeks gestation. Toni, her husband, and their children came to mine and Tim's home to take care of our other two children while I was in the hospital at Little Rock. For that, I was so thankful, and felt like I owed her so much for taking that responsibility. As months went by, I became depressed and withdrawn because of the loss of this precious baby. Tim and I had never been able to communicate so instead of us holding each other up we both talked to other people. Tim and Toni became very close during the few months after losing Branden, and it resulted in an affair. I was devastated. I felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest. I called Toni's husband and let him know what was going on, and I cut all ties with her. I became furious with both of them after I got past the heartache. I battled with this for a