And forgive us our  debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Matthew 6:12

Marla had been coming to counseling for well over a year, but she was still a very angry young woman. She had vented her feelings over and over again. One afternoon, I finally said, “Marla, you’re never going to get better until you forgive. Her answer was quick and to the point, “I don’t do windows, and I don’t do forgiveness.” I said, “Well, I guess you won’t get better then.”  Marla left in a huff, I wondered if she would come back.

Next week, however, Marla showed up. She seemed calm and relaxed, so I asked her how the week had gone. Rather sheepishly she replied that she had had a great week. She had really thought  about what I had said. And she had decided to make an effort to forgive not only others, but also herself. Marla had started on the road to forgiveness by taking the first step-making a conscious decision to begin the process of forgiveness. It is a long process that often requires peeling off layers of bitterness like tearfully peeling off layers of an onion. Unlike an onion, however, our lives come out of the “peeling ” process whole and intact-better than ever.

Thought:  I will decide to forgive today, so the long process of forgiveness can begin to bring healing in my life.