It is hard to consider letting go if you hang on to a grievance so long the loss of which would throw you off balance. We come to know those we love from different vantage points sure we have summed up who they are. We cling to our vision of who they are because we are so sure of what we see. We forget their humanity is as fragile as our vision. When those we love misstep in a way we do not expect, we are caught off guard. We prefer the comfort of the known. We cower when that known stumbles.
Forgiveness is a hard road to follow if we cling to idealisms that do not allow imperfection. Take the rose. It is perfect actually as its petals unfold in divine-like symmetry and color. The rose however also comes with thorns. To grab the rose is to sometimes encounter the pain of the sharp thorn which rises on its stem. Our immediate reaction is to let out a cry of pain, to say life is not fair, but that pain is softened by the beauty inherent in the petals of the rose that we see. It subdues our pain, it makes our love more profound, it tells us to forgive if only for the beauty that exists beyond the thorn.
The garden is often a place of forgiveness. We see it in the rose. We see it also in scene of nature that unveils before us. The seed sprouts in barren, unnourished soil. The bird thrives and sings despite the harshness of winter. Forgiveness is about trusting life when you don’t think you can. It is sometimes about letting things be as they are. Forgiveness is real love because it makes room for the possibility and goodness that lies in each person. A hard road, yes, but sometimes well worth the journey.
Leave a Reply