This has always been a hard concept for me to grasp for some reason. I honestly never really knew what forgiveness meant and I still struggle to come to terms with it at times. Thinking back on people who were cruel to me when I didn't deserve it or even thinking back to things that I have done have always made me feel strong emotions. I think about things from my past and wince, or I feel anger, sadness or shame. I wonder how someone could take advantage of my good intentions and innocence, or how I could not know what I know now. As always, I'd like to share a quote that helped me understand forgiveness a great deal more:
"You made the best decision you could with the information you had at the time."
I think once we have learned something, we have this odd tendency to judge people who have not learned it yet. For example, as someone studying child development, I find myself critiquing certain practices in childcare centers or questioning how a parent is unable to recognize the harm in their parenting style. But how can I expect the average person to know everything I've dedicated all of my academic studies to? This same perspective can be applied to our past selves. How can I expect my younger self to have known better when she hadn't yet experienced everything that led to my current understanding? It's easy to look back on an event and see a better choice or path now that we've learned from our experience. Hindsight follows the lesson, so we shouldn't judge ourselves harshly for not knowing what we know now before we learned it. We did what we knew, with the information we had at that time and I think that same grace has to go towards every one else.
Forgiving yourself means forgiving others, because we are all fundamentally alike. We share a common humanity at our core and that connection is beautiful.
A few things I'm grateful for today:
Yesterday I supported some of my friends by going to their dance production and it felt so good to see them again. I've missed them and being a part of shows like that
This morning my best friend took me on a Trader Joe's run just because :') I felt so special and I never laugh as hard as I do when I'm with her
I got through my in-class interview this past week!!!!! Tell me why I was interviewed in front of an entire class you guys...... that was horrifying but who would've thought I would survive to tell the tale
Was finally cabernet sauvignoned this weekend
Sleeping in :') always grateful
Messages and verses for today:
You are a mansion. ♡
Ephesians 4:32
Also!! Here are some pretty pictures from my backyard and also yes -
I took my graduation pictures so there's one of them lol :)
Comments