Have you ever been wronged by someone so close and dear to you, so much so that you swore never to forgive that person? A lot of people have been subjected to heart breaking situations because of friends and families or loved ones and till date still bear grudges so deep.Uncles who rape their nieces and are unapologetic about it.The cycle never ends, with hatred being spread to the younger generation and no room for reconciliation.
A 16 year old girl, who has plans of studying law in the university of Nigeria, gets pregnant for her boyfriend and her dreams of becoming a lawyer becomes just a dream.
A mother who struggled to train her son in school, is now being labelled a witch and the cause of the young man's stagnation by a Pastor.
The loving husband who suddenly start cheating and becomes aggressive, beating his wife at every slight provocation.
The Aunt who promised to sponsor your education but now sells your body to the highest bidder for the night.
The course rep who collects money from a female colleague for course registration but refused to do it because she refused to go out with him, now the student has an extra year.
The friend who shares pictures of her friends unclad just for fun.
The best friend who tells the whole world your deepest darkest secrets because you didn't let her use your skincare products.
The list is endless.
Humans have always been unapologetically evil and they believe they are untouchable and can get away with anything.The conversation of forgiveness and forgetting the wrongs done by others, is a controversial topic. The reason is that different people have different ideology about forgiveness.In this day and age when forgiveness is for the weak and letting go is for the timid, people no longer endure wrong doings done to them. Generation Z, popularly known as Gen Z, are quite peculiar in dishing out the same energy they receive.They call it Aura for Aura.
Biblically, Christians are taught forgiveness. It's the basis of their Christian faith. In the bible, it's written in several books. This is to show Christians the importance forgiveness. The book of Matthew talks about forgiveness and the conditions attached to it. The book of Matthew emphasis that God only forgives those who forgive those that offend them.
The book of Ephesians also talks about forgiveness. It says “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgives you.”
Forgiveness has never been easy feat, talk more of forgetting. Victims of Rape never forget the Incident and may never trust people again. Victims of domestic violence never forget the times they got hurt from the constant abuse they endured.
In this day and age, to Forgive and Forget is almost impossible. Even the phrase "To err is human, To forgive is divine", is a clear indication of how it is such an herculean task.
However, for you to truly say you are free from grudges, you have to completely forgive and forget.