Forgiveness and Brighter Clothes

Forgiveness: the act to cease to feel resentment against. I believe in forgiveness, in forgiving yourself and others. But to be forgiven, you must first forgive yourself and others. For Luke 6:37 states “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” First you must forgive yourself, however, to forgive yourself you have to admit that you are human and you make mistakes. Then you have to learn to live with the consequences because life will not stop, even if you do. For instance, when I got into an accident this year, I was so upset. My world was crashing down around me. I could not absorb the fact that I hit a biker while I was driving. I used so many “if” statements. If only I would have put my phone down, if only it were not dark and storming, if only he had been wearing lighter or brighter clothes. I am only just accepting that what I say now does not matter; I cannot change the past. I made a stupid decision, and I must accept the consequences. You must also be able to forgive others, to realize that they also make mistakes. For 1 Peter 3:9 states “Do no repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” When I was in the accident, I was sure that no one would be able to, would want to forgive me. However, in going to therapy and talking to my support system, I have come to realize that this one incident, this one mistake that I made, does not define me. It does not change others’ opinions of me, it does not affect the type of person that I am, it does not make me a worse person. It will affect me for the rest of my life, but it will not define the rest of my life. Through this trial, I have realized love is stronger than blame, and forgiving loved ones is possible. Once you are able to forgive yourself and others, God can forgive you. As in the Lord’s Prayer: Forgive us our trespasses as we