By Scott Reddoch
Recently I was severely disrespected by a longtime friend. When it happened, I immediately shared my opinion. My friend refused to apologize. We were at an impasse.
I didn’t want to forgive him.
Have you ever had a person in your life that made you question why you keep them around? I was having a moment like that. We talk about forgiveness being the thing to do. But talking about it is a whole lot easier than actually doing it.
I am ashamedly good at holding grudges. Part of being human is making mistakes. I’ve made many, but we shouldn’t keep score. Relationships are important to me, even the ones that make me wonder if I should keep them alive.
I still don’t want to forgive him.
When I am struggling with this, I think of a story I read when I was young about two monks. They had both been soldiers and were taken prisoner during a war. Their teacher asked about the experience. One monk said he had been starved and tortured and is happy every day that he is free. The other monk said he would never forgive them for what they had done while he was their prisoner.
The teacher said, “I see you still are.”
Share via: