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Candice Hakemack
While I was young, I did not have a good relationship with my father. The lack of a relationship was never a question of my dad being around; it was the fact that I did not believe he wanted me. I am an only child, and through his words and actions, I gathered that he wanted a son, but since he was given a daughter, she should just be taken care of by her mother. The only time we ever spent together was a yearly Christmas shopping trip where he would take me to the mall to buy presents for my mom. His love for her was obvious, so I knew he was capable of love, I just never truly believed that he loved me.
As the years passed, my resentment towards him only increased until I realized that holding onto this bitterness inside was doing no good. In fact, it was hurting us both, because he told me that he wanted to have a relationship with me and asked what he could do to make it happen. Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us that we should “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” We are all sinners, but as Christians, we are all forgiven. It is because of this forgiveness that we should also forgive. When I finally let go and forgave my dad, the wall between us came down, and we now have a wonderful relationship.