Saturday, April 2, 2022

Dear God,

The word keeps coming.  Although I want to dodge it, I know it will catch up with me.  Forgive, forgive, I hear it over and over again, forgive.

Forgiveness is the "rest" of the story.  Forgiveness comes just before The End.  Without it the story is unfinished, incomplete.  Not only is the story not finished but the soul cannot complete its own faith story without it.  There will always be rumblings inside, unsettledness and anger.  Bitterness can easily take root and starve hope, love and peace within us. 

It is difficult to forgive when injustice is rampant, when people are ruined, destroyed by greed, power and hatred.  How do we forgive those who often times intentionally hurt us or those we love? 

Perhaps we need to reexamine what forgiveness is and is not.  Forgiveness is NOT approving of destructive behavior.  Forgiveness is for healing one's own soul.  Giving you every bit of every piece and parcel of pain, sorrow, loss, anger and abuse gives us opportunity to make space for healing, hope, comfort, love and peace.  For you want to fill us with everything that will transform us and make us well.

Relieve us

of all

that pains us,

O God.

Heal us

from the

inside out.

Open our souls

to your

healing work,

I pray.

Love, Andrea