I'm no bible thumper, but I do push forgiveness on everyone. Hang in with me on this story so you can see my point.
My experience:
When I was 8 years old their was this new toy called the "Chat now communicator". And I was on the phone with my father telling him about it. He promised me he would get it for me. Every night I dreamed of him bringing it to me, because I was so exited about it. Four weeks had passed since then. And I finally realized, this is a man that hadn't shown up to my birthday party's nor even called me to say happy birthday. As soon as I figured it out, I cried so hard to where my throat started to hurt(I know right). My mom saw me crying and I told her what happened. Although my mother says a lot of things to hurt me at times I know she still loves me. I didn't tell her about the toy, because I thought he deserved another chance to make things right. I was so angry at my father i swore I'd never forgive him. Well my brother and cousin were at the mall. And we didn't have allot of money. My mother called and asked them to pull there money together to get me my toy, and she'd pay them back when they got home. If you could have seen my face when they showed it to me. I was so happy and overwhelmed with joy. It wasn't just the toy I was angry about, it was what it represented. My father promised me he would get it to me, and I saw that toy as a bond. I finally realized that while I'm sitting here hating him over this petty conflict, he's off with his step-family living his life. I realized that I can't forgive him for him, but I have to do it for me. He's sound asleep and I'm carrying this unhealthy burden. After all of these years I finally forgave him. When I released that burden it gave me clear sight, meaning that all the petty conflicts I had with other people ARE meaningless. I have nothing to be angry about. Just as I forgave the kid that called me a ball licker I forgave my father. The only thing my parents are supposed to do for me is raise me until I'm 18, and teach me right from wrong. I love my father through all the bad times I love him. Although he isn't a saint, most of the time when he wasn't at my birthdays he was working making sure my mother and I could eat.
Lessons from this story:
Forgiveness is key
Don't carry unhealthy burdens
You don't forgive the other person for them, you do it for you
