☰ Menu
☰ Menu
Amanda L. Levering
Being a “forgiving person” is a tricky thing. I’ve always excelled at giving others forgiveness, and although this was what I believed to be part of who I inherently was, I also believed, whether conscious or subconscious, that being this way was what it meant to be “Christian.”
That ideal of Christianity didn’t account for two things. 1) People that take advantage of those kinds of good people, and 2) where was the same forgiveness I offered to others for myself?
Offering my forgiveness and having empathy for others has always come naturally to me. But providing that for myself?… That has been the real challenge.
It took being in a 3-year abusive relationship and leaving that partner (several times) before I came to realize what a gift forgiveness is. It took letting go of 30+ years of perfectionism. It took me forgiving myself for all of my mistakes and missteps to truly realize what God has intended for me and wants for me.
I continue to live my life leaning into forgiveness of others, but the difference now is that I am more fully present. God has brought me to this beautiful point in my life where I no longer hold myself to an unrealistic standard.
Forgiving is an ever evolving process for me as I seek to know God more deeply and love myself as God does.
Friends and members of our Christ Church family have prepared these daily reflections as a means for you to consider how forgiveness informs your faith walk during this holy season. They are a richly diverse group from many different geographies around our nation and globe, formed by a wide variety of traditions.