This was the opening question of the mid-morning Bible study I attended today. What do I need to be forgiven for? I was struck by the absence of an immediate list. I always have a list, usually, neatly written on color coded notecards. I like lists. I can tell you exactly who I need to forgive, what they've done, when, and how I feel about it. I have that inventory memorized. I run it through regularly checking to be sure it's all in the same place as when I last visited. It's like my closet. Suits on the right. Shirts on the left. Socks in the bottom drawer. Childhood wrongs on the top shelf, professional betrayals in the wire basket. Unlike my real closet, this metaphorical room never runs out of space. I don't have to thin out the rack of hurts to make room for new ones, it's an endless pole where I can neatly hang the latest treachery - large or small. I imagine I am not alone. We all harbor resentments towards people who have no sense of what they've done to us. For me, the shift to reflecting more on my own behavior, the unkind words, the anger, the gossip that I need forgiveness for might, just might, make it a little easier to let go of some of my list. The prayer does say "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Please forgive me. What a liberating, humanizing request. It humbles with it's ring of simple beauty and elegance. Yes, please forgive me. It's the right place for me to start.
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