“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17
I check my Instagram messages and type, “Still good for 9:30.” Quickly I get a reply, “Yes, see you there.” I take a big breath. I am nervous. But, Lily and I are committed to meeting an old acquaintance for coffee. This person and I have not spoken in years and our friendship ended abruptly. I didn’t agree with her actions. I felt hurt and betrayed by her. I held a grudge. And I couldn’t forgive her.
I requested that we grab a coffee. These last few months I have been thinking about her and our relationship. How we actually challenged one another and learned from one another… sharpened one another. We pushed one another’s creativity, competitiveness, leadership, and growth. I learned how to deal with conflict differently because of our experience. She actually sharpened me.
When Lily and I walked into the coffee shop, she was already there. We walked up to her table and sat. Immediately, I remembered my word of the year “expand” and recognized that in order to expand this year, I needed to forgive. I needed to release my grudge.
Was it hard? Yes. Was it super uncomfortable? Yes. Did I like feeling humbled? No.
But when we walked out of the coffee shop nearly 2 hours later, I felt a release of something I have been holding onto with negative intention. It was calming and peaceful. It felt good. It was powerful. It was expanding who I am.
Lesson learned: Forgiveness isn’t forgetting… it is giving yourself a chance to expand and grow.
