On Being Obligated to Forgive

When someone you truely love does something truely awful, betraying your trust or cheating on you, you will be utterly crushed. Your sense of devestation will be immense and unavoidable. You’ll also want to find something equally wicked to do to get back at them, for being so evil! Care to guess how wrong that response is?

If the other party has no remorse, you’ll really be put to the test, as this is a wicked insult, a slap to the face with a gauntlet, summoning you to battle! Faced with an un-repentant partner or close associate, the urge for retribution will call to you strongly. You know you should resist, not wanting to commit your own act of evil, or to drag your soul through the mud of moral vindictiveness, but it’s so hard not to!

Even worse, if the other party actually confessed their nastiness, their sin and dishonesty or cheating, you’re confronted with the choice to rise up and forgive them, or to be mean and vicious, and deny their plea. Do they seem sincere, in their desire to atone, to redeem themselves? True love demands, will tolerate only one choice as proper; you must allow them the chance to make amends. You are obligated by higher things to give them that chance!

In truth, you need to do so for an even simpler reason; eventually, you’ll do something wicked and stupid, and be in need of forgiveness too! You can count on it! Would you wish to be accorded a second chance? I’d bet you would. Not being willing to give that chance to another is a surefire way to guarantee that when you need a break, it won’t be forthcoming.  Bad karma is a drag, as you’ve probably experienced.

Love can be a harsh taskmaster on your heart and soul, requiring you to reach far beyond your comfort zone, in the name of forgiveness. Struggling to reach this lofty place, to touch a bit of the Divine, helps your soul to stretch and grow. In case it’s not occured to you yet, that is the main reason you’re alive and on this old ball of rock in the first place!

Jack