I’ve been thinking a lot about forgiveness and what it means. I mean we read bible stories and what the Bible commands but what does that look like? What does it mean to love unconditionally? During my time of reflection, I remembered my grandmother and her story of forgiveness. I may have been a pre-teen or younger, but I remember a family member close to my grandma saying things about her at a critical time in her life that was not true. They did everything short of disowning my grandma. I could tell that it hurt her. My Grandma was a kind spirit that didn’t raise her voice very much or show lots of sign of anger. But even being young I could tell that it hurt her deeply. For sure I thought oh no this person is going down! They will no longer be invited to Sunday dinners or just to laugh and joke with the family. They will be done! But instead of holding on to that pain, my grandma walked in true forgiveness and had an unconditional love you often only read about in the bible. The family member still came to the house, and my grandma received them with love and food! She never spoke of the wrongdoing; she never scowled her face or treated that person differently. She loved them in spite of. As I thought back on this situation, I realized that she was the epitome of unconditional love and forgiveness. See, my Grandma saw the heart of people and look past the hurt in people that would make them be less than perfect. She saw people with her God eyes. How powerful is that? She exhibited a kind of forgiveness and love that is a diamond in the rough.
There is strength in forgiveness and seeing the heart of a person and not the hurt of a person. Now, this is not an easy task, but I know if my grandmother was here today, she would say “Licia just pray and put it in God’s hand.”