Forgiveness

There are people in your life who've come and gone

They let you down, you know they hurt your pride

You better put it all behind you baby; life goes on

You keep carryin' that anger; it'll eat you up inside

I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter

But my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter

But I think its about forgiveness

Forgiveness

Even if, even if you don't love me anymore

- The Heart of the Matter by Don Henley

When you fail to forgive someone, they control you. Sometimes even from the grave. They have a hold on you from which you can escape with one simple act of letting go, but so many times we live in a sort of bondage because we have it backwards. We think forgiveness means letting them off the hook or letting them get away with something. We can't have that. So we punish them by holding onto bitterness. It takes a lot of energy to hold a grudge, but it's worth it, right? We make ourselves sick and ruin relationships and lose sleep, but we'll show them!

I've grown to see that forgiveness is a selfish act. God told me to do it because He knew how horrible holding a grudge was for me. Who am I really hurting when I have unforgiveness in my heart? Usually only myself and the people I'm closest to and love the most.

I'm not certain what it's all about, but I think it's at least partially about forgiveness. Even if, even if you don't love me anymore.