You may have seen the news story and video over the last 24 hours. A woman is accused and sentenced for murdering a man. And the brother of the man asks the judge if he can hug the woman responsible. He then does something rarely seen – he forgives her.
I think most of us would think that is impossible to do – to hug and forgive the person who took a loved one’s life. It is nearly impossible. There’s that old saying – to err is human, to forgive is divine. I believe to forgive is divine – meaning it is really a supernatural thing that goes beyond what are normal human response would be.
The biggest misconception when it comes to forgiveness – is we mistakenly think it means we are saying what the other person did was okay. Or we are letting them off the hook. Or that there are no consequences. That’s not true.
This woman is still going to jail. She most likely will deal with consequences the rest of her life. Interestingly enough, it’s been said forgiveness sets a prisoner free – and that prisoner is you, the person that has been hurt. It frees you from be imprisoned by anger and bitterness. In many ways we can’t move forward until we do.
Your challenge today is to forgive. Not for the other person, but for you. And as result, may you experience freedom.
**Eric has his Masters in Counseling. When he’s not on B105.7, he works as a private practice counselor**
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Tutye
