Sometimes the people we care most about, our family and friends, hurt us in ways they don't know. Usually they're oblivious, or they can't understand that certain things they do actually hurt when it comes to other people or yourself.
Either way, it can be frustrating and a good place for the seeds of hate, anger and discord to grow when it seems that all they do is go on their merry way doing whatever it is that hurts you, from jokes that hit the weak spot, to abandonment, to neglect, to betraying their values, to losing their faith, and so on. And in the end, they're either happy doing what they're doing, or oblivious of what they're doing, and you're there, observing everything, being hurt, and seemingly alone.
When you're hurt and seemingly alone, it's easy to get that pride up. It's that pride that causes you to disconnect from them and to leave them. It's that pride that says, "THEY should apologize for what they've done. THEY should be the first to make a move because THEY were the ones that hurt me, neglected me, betrayed me, and abandoned me." Now with our head walled-up with that pride we cut off that love towards them and before you know it, with that absence of love, all there is left is hate.
And hate sucks. It sucks the life out of us. We take beautiful days for granted. We forget how much we're loved by God, our family and especially those friends who are still there for us. We could be living life so much more fully without the heavy burdens of grudges. And so what do we do? It all comes back to that verse up there: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
As being who we are, children of God, we're called to love each other just as God has loved us. Likewise, we are called to forgive, just as He has forgiven us. Sometimes people do things that hurt us, but they don't know it. Other times, they know they've hurt us, but they just don't know how deeply they've hurt us. But in the end, just as we never truly know all the times we've hurt God or how deeply we've hurt Him, He forgave us and loved us and so we too must forgive them and love them.
And through all the hurt, maybe you'll grow closer to understanding what exactly God meant when He said He loves you unconditionally. And maybe you'll gain more wisdom in truly knowing what true love is and what true forgiveness really looks like.
