jakorte's blog

Saying “sorry" doesn’t always work.
We need to understand that if we hurt someone, we cannot demand their immediate forgiveness.
They have a right to be able to sort through their feelings.

At this point, it becomes our responsibility to forgive their anger towards us.
We must acknowledge that anger is owed to us for what we have done.
We must allow the other party to smolder and grieve. Be as patient with their holding on to their pain, as you were hasty in delivering it.

Likewise, we cannot simply say, “I’m sorry," and forgive ourselves.
We can only ask for forgiveness.

Beware, though. If you ask for forgiveness, make sure you are prepared to wait for it. When we find ourselves waiting on the receiving end of forgiveness, we must recognize it might not be delivered for a while, and it won’t ever be delivered on our time schedule. Asking for forgiveness always comes with the price of patience.

I believe it would also do us a great deal of good to store that anguished, anticipatory, waiting-for-forgiveness feeling away in our hearts and memories. GOD forgives us the very moment we sin, yet we know we can only strive to be GOD-like.

When we are on the giving end, and have finally convinced our heart that we have truly forgiven someone, the confession should not be far behind. It is necessary to share your absolute forgiveness with the one who has been waiting for it.

Release them and yourself from the pain. Start over. Be blessed.