Maybe you have faced this scenario before: You say something without thinking and end up hurting someone you love. I have—many times—and have needed to ask forgiveness from people I care about. Doing that can be hard, even when I’m in the wrong. It requires humility and a recognition that what I’ve done has wounded someone else.
If we are the ones who have done or said something that has injured someone, it’s clear that we need to seek forgiveness. But in situations where someone has hurt us, do we still need to extend forgiveness even if that person never seeks it? I think so, and here’s why: Forgiveness isn’t just for the other person. It’s for us, too.
When we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, it can lead to bitterness, resentment, or other unhealthy thoughts—an experience that Quinn Collins, the heroine in Courtney Walsh’s new novel Just Let Go, knows all too well. Abandoned by her mother as a child, Quinn is now on the verge of achieving her dream: owning the floral shop that her mother once owned and becoming a florist and a business owner in her own right. But her motivations are mixed—and so much of her drive is focused on proving herself to her mother that she almost misses out on the joy of finally fulfilling her dream and the fun of infusing the shop with her own style. And on the possibility of romance with a frustrating but charming Olympic skier who has been assigned to help her with renovations as part of his community service sentence.
Quinn’s mother never offered an explanation. Nor does she ask for forgiveness, even when given the chance as lead judge in a competition Quinn enters that could make or break the success of her store. But that’s not really the point. Unless Quinn can learn to let go of the bitterness she feels toward her mother, she may find it will destroy every chance for joy in her future . . . especially when her plans veer horribly off course.
So let’s ask ourselves this: Whom do we need to extend forgiveness to? Are we holding on to bitterness and resentment when we really need to just let go?
You can read more of Quinn’s story in Just Let Go.
