Forgiveness Part Two

By Kelly Bridgewater

Earlier this year, our Sunday School class did a Bible study on Forgiveness. When we started, I couldn't come up with anyone I needed to forgive.

But of course, as the class progressed, I realized I do have three people who have wronged me, and I may not have told them, but I have felt the sting of their hurt even today.

Here they are: (Wow! This is heart wrenching to actually admit this!)

Last week, I shared the person I needed to forgive. This week, I'll share the second one. 

2.) Two Friends from High School

These two guys are twins who were part of the three people who I consider I was the closest to during my last couple of years in high school. The reason I need to forgive them is because I still feel hurt by how they treated me. They might not even know they hurt me, but they did. They are decent, fun-loving guys.

But . . .

there were moments in school were they only called on me when they NEEDED me. I was okay to hang out with at work, but not in the evenings. I wasn't their girlfriends who took all their attention. I wasn't a guy who they hung out with.

They threw a party one weekend while their parents were away. Lots of people I knew were talking about it. I asked both guys about it, and they said, "You wouldn't want to go. We're going to have beer and listen to not your type of music." Just because I was a Christian doesn't mean I didn't want to hang out with my friends. I felt awful that night. Later, rumors went around about how much of a hangover they had later.

For our senior homecoming dance, I was supposed to be picked up by one of the guys and his girlfriend and go to the dance as a double date. Me and my date hung out at my house until after the dance started, then we called them, and they said they forgot. They left the dance and came and picked us up. It stung.

They always tried to hook me up with stupid boys, and because I was the good girl, it was really hard to find dates, I jumped on them. None of them lasted long. Luckily, I never kissed or did anything with them except watch a couple of movies.

In college, the same guy from earlier and I took the same Algebra class. I found it extremely easy and received A's on everything. He struggled. A LOT. The week before the final, he asked to study with me because he needed to earn a decent grade to pass the class. I offered to meet at my house. He never showed. When I called him later, he said, he forgot, and will just study on his own. That hurt.

They asked questions about God. They went to some church/ youth group functions with me, but they always responded with, "God doesn't sound fun. He sounds boring. Maybe when I'm older. I want to have more fun while I can."

I respected it and kept praying for them to come to Jesus. I kept telling them about God when they asked.

After a year at the same four-year college, they transferred to a community college. While there, they hooked up with the local Christian group and gave their hearts to God. I praised God for bringing them into their kingdom. I planted the seed, and someone else reaped the reward.

Then they started dating Christian girls because now it is was okay to date a Godly woman.

Now they are married and follow God, and sometimes I look at their Facebook pages, and it makes me sad because of how they treated me in the past. They are loyal to their friends, but I guess I was never really one. I just thought I was.

Lord,
I pray for forgiveness for the hurt both guys have shown me. I pray for me to forgive them. I thank you so much for bringing someone into their lives who showed them your love and your need for them.

Now, I pray a blessing on their current and future lives. I pray they keep having strong marriages. I pray for their children to grow up in the admiration of you. I pray they keep following you and loving you the rest of the days of their lives.

Lord, release this hurt from my heart.

Amen.