How strong does a person have to be to forgive? It seems to me that it takes strength, maybe too much strength, to forgive someone who has been profoundly unfair. It almost seems unfair to expect forgiveness under this circumstance. Forgiveness asks too much of a person.
This question shows remarkable insight. We humans can get very enthusiastic about a new diet or a new exercise program or any other kind of discipline, only to fade out after a few weeks. To forgive one person may not take a great deal of will power to complete because the forgiver is focused, is doing something novel (and what is novel usually holds our attention if the activity is worthwhile), and is helpful to the forgiver. Yet, what of the second or third or tenth forgiveness attempt? It is here that we need what I call in my book, The Forgiving Life, a strong will–the kind of will that stays at the task even when it is hard to do so. At the same time, we should not continue the forgiveness journey (the second, and third, and tenth forgiveness effort) alone. We need a workout buddy. We need support. Try to find another or others who will support you and whom you can support in the forgiveness effort. Then your will can be bolstered, made stronger, by the other’s strong will and vice versa. It takes this kind of will to be physically fit. It takes this kind of will to be forgivingly fit.
