“If we have something done to us, we are victims. If we physically survive, we are survivors. Sadly, many people never travel any further than this. I did travel further, going from victim to survivor, to victor. To become a victor is to move from being an object of history to become a subject once more”. – Michael Lapsley (In April 1990 Michael received a letter bomb in the post. He now runs the Institute for Healing Memories in Cape Town.)
The Forgiveness Project is an amazing website. I found a link to it while reading Jarrod McKenna’s blog.
It’s not a ‘religious’ project, it’s a coming together of people of all backgrounds who have experienced the power that forgiveness gives to all who embrace it.
The site carries dozens of stories of forgiveness. The stories aren’t about a glib ‘sorry’ but the kind of tough forgiveness that hurts and heals at the same time.
Do you dare use the F word? Are you able to forgive?
Offering forgiveness can be hard on so many levels. Forgiveness means giving up our right to revenge and working towards getting rid of the feelings of resentment and hurt that we can enjoy so much. Forgiveness is especially hard when the person who has wronged us still refuses to accept responsibility for their actions.
On the front page of The Forgiveness Project website it says,
The Forgiveness Project works at a local, national and international level to help build a future free of conflict and violence by healing the wounds of the past.
By collecting and sharing people’s stories, and delivering outreach programmes, The Forgiveness Project encourages and empowers people to explore the nature of forgiveness and alternatives to revenge.
Can I suggest that you take some time to look through some of the stories on the site? Could you forgive someone who murdered your mother or your husband? Could you forgive someone who sexually abused you? Is there forgiveness for those who perpetrate racial violence against innocent people?
The stories don’t just end with sorry, they go on to tell about the power, the healing, the restoration that comes from forgiveness.
Have you got a story of forgiveness to share? I’d love to hear how forgiveness help you to move forward in your life. Please leave your story in the comments section of this post or link to a post on your own blog.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Technorati Tags: Forgiveness – Forgiveness Project – Healing
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Once I forgave … I began to truly live 🙂 Thanks for sharing that site with us R
Hugs
S
Rodney,
I’ve had to deal with forgiveness in my own life over the past several years. Mine was against my dad. I was able to forgive him for everything and move on. Just over a month ago now, I lost him. He died on June 21st. Unlike some of my other siblings, I was able to forgive him and sit and talk with him before he died. I think this has helped me in the process…I mention process because many times forgiveness isn’t instantaneous but rather a willing progression therein.
I heard a quote from someone and I don’t remember who it was but she was speaking of her life and forgiveness and she said this of her mother, “I blame her for nothing and forgive her for everything”. To me, that is so powerful!
I love this site, thanks for reminding me of I hadn’t looked at it in a long time.
Forgiving is not easy, sometimes I find that I need to forgive the same things over and over, sort of like burying something then digging it up again.