Practice Forgiveness...

Practicing Forgiveness?

If at first you don't succeed....try, try, try again!

This is a quote known to most of us. And I think it is very applicable when it comes to forgiveness. Forgiveness is hard. In my friendship that ended with my dear friend, I have been struggling with forgiving myself and her. It takes practice and a lot of try, try, try again. (find story in continuous atonement about making same mistakes over and over again. This coming week is the week we would normally be going to bear lake with them. Instead we will sit at home and wish things were different. We will hurt, ache, and miss them, but we will practice forgiveness. The definition of practice is below.

Practice:

Noun The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method as opposed to theories about such application or use.

Verb Perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.

Practicing forgiveness can be hard, difficult, hopeless at times, and downright undesirable. Sometimes we wish for revenge, plot and reel from the damage that's been done to us whether real or perceived. But when taking into consideration the Verb form of the definition of practicing it says to perform or exercise forgiveness repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain proficiency. This is exactly what is great about the news! See I believe firmly that our hearts and spirits want to forgive and love others always. It's part of our divine nature. So when we continually fall and find imperfection in the ones we are trying to forgive, we gotta get back on the horse and practice more, practice with prayer, and practice unceasingly.

Part of why I write this blog is so that I can keep reminding myself and having accountability in seeking repentance, extending forgiveness, and loving with a Christlike love. And I am going to be a little vulnerable here and tell you a secret....I SUCK AT IT! But I keep trying. 

As quoted from wikipedia and earlier version of the story of the "the Little Train that Could" we learn a great deal of motivation to keep trying to forgive. We may think we will never be able to forgive someone who has hurt us so deeply, but we can. Here is the earlier version...

"A little railroad engine was employed about a station yard for such work as it was built for, pulling a few cars on and off the switches. One morning it was waiting for the next call when a long train of freight-cars asked a large engine in the roundhouse to take it over the hill. "I can't; that is too much a pull for me," said the great engine built for hard work. Then the train asked another engine, and another, only to hear excuses and be refused. In desperation, the train asked the little switch engine to draw it up the grade and down on the other side. "I think I can," puffed the little locomotive, and put itself in front of the great heavy train. As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."

As it neared the top of the grade, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it still kept saying, "I—think—I—can, I—think—I—can." It reached the top by drawing on bravery and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could.""

We too can find forgiveness for anyone, it just may take a lot of practice, falling down and getting up, falling to our knees, and the understanding that we would want our Father in Heaven to forgive us, so it is required we forgive. Practice makes perfect.