Yesterday, I happened upon someone whom I hadn’t seen in months. There was no prearranged meeting, he just happened to turn up at an event I was doing. But, at the distance – our distance, in fact, that way we had so conjured – I was anticipating the moments when we would speak again with both delight and fear.
I had done him a great wrong once.
As much as I wanted to share my updates with him, I had no idea that he would even want to look at me. After all, I might well have not done so, had our positions been reversed.
So, I moved closer with my breath catching in my throat.
He turned those unreadable, turquoise eyes upon me. A thousand universes flittered through my mind. I would have this one chance to show him that I was so sorry (for words would do no good).
He grinned. We’ve known each other for six years and it felt as if the ice had broken again.
Although it, in retrospect, was shorter than I ever would have liked, we talked for a full conversation. After that, I felt lighter than I had in ages.
All my darkness had been blanched away by the light. It may be an odd metaphor, but, like being born again, I had emerged from the water, cold, but refreshed, and utterly good. After three months of doubt and furor, my hand has finally penetrated the invisible glass casing surrounding me from the better world.
Moreover, I had seen it in my disturbing prescience.
Yet, the fact I had guessed it was going to come no more dampened the feelings of relief; forgiveness is a wonderful thing – both for the forgiver and the forgiven – in that one mistake is struck through with a red pen of sorts, wiped from the mind, hearts and voices of those involved, and replaced with something new and clean: a different view.
This is what I love about being a Christian! To think that Jesus would take all the agony of our sins and make forgiveness a possibility is an incredible thought.
Alexandrina Brant 
Truly, it is hard to forgive someone who has done us wrong… but as they say, “Time heals all wounds”, and when the right time comes, we can forgive (and forget that this person has hurt us once).
Great post! Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” Forgiveness is so wholly intertwined with love it’s no wonder those who hold grudges are frequently miserable. I’ve also heard it said, “Resentment is swallowing poison hoping the other person will die.” A bit harsh, but true nonetheless. Harboring ill feelings toward someone hurts you more than it hurts them. And part of me says, don’t give them that power over you, to hurt you.
I’m not sure if I’ve shared this here before, but I was at a forum where a guy said, “Love is not a relationship. Love is a manifestation of who you are.” We all wanted to disagree with him until he pointed out that God is love. And God’s love isn’t diminished whether we love him or hate him. That’s I think why they say God is love, because he’s perfectly manifesting himself. Knowing that certainly helps me in troublesome situations with difficult people. I don’t want to give them power to diminish myself. I want to be me no matter how they’re behaving toward me. Obviously I’m not perfect at it, but just knowing that and having that perspective can make all the difference.
Again, great post!