It was a sweet and thoughtful letter printed 6/30/07 that was written by Candace Fraley and Crystal WIlson entitled "Remember, forgiveness takes time" The authors of the letter disagree with me regarding the way Genevieve Baker was treated in the courtroom by some of the family members of the young man killed in a motor vehicle accident caused by Genevieve while she was in a drunken state. Despite the emotionally charged topic of our disagreement, the authors did not hurl cheap shots. There was no name-calling, and they quoted me accurately and with enough context, so that my opinion was accurately portrayed. How refreshing!
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Their opinion graciously and well-stated didn't change my mind because my opinion regarding the necessity of unconditional forgiveness is not based on my feelings or thoughts on the matter but on what the Sovereign Lord Jesus has commanded of us. Our need to forgive is not dependent on the transgressor's having remorse nor on the nature, severity, or duration of the transgression. .
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Forgiveness is rarely easy, and a deep level of forgiveness can indeed take time, especially when it is our child that has been hurt in a way that is permanent, such as death, or in a way that has long term consequences, such as from sexual molestation or parent-alienation syndrome. However, to even begin to forgive what to us feels unforgivable, there must be an ascent of the will that requires the humility to recognize that malice and unforgiveness is wrong.
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