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Focusing -> RE: Need help: a family member trying to fix other family members' relationship (5/12/2008 1:56:26 PM)
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[sm=icon_smile_cry.gif] {{{Christi}}} Yes, you already know that your responsibility is to forgive. As humans, we cannot forget though. And just because you forgive does not mean you need to become her close companion. It doesn't even mean you need to have a relationship with her. I know that might sound really harsh, but allow me to explain from my own experience: my ex was horribly abusive. There is no doubt in my mind that if I hadn't taken our son and left him when I did, when his temper and anger had become so extreme and so frequent and so violent, that my son and I would both be dead and buried. It has been a long road, and God has placed wonderful people in my life to help me through some of these tough times. Probably the best piece of advice my spiritual mom gave me was that when I truly had released things to the Lord regarding the relationship with my ex, through forgiveness, to write it down on the front flap of my Bible and date it. Mine is actually written down in a Bible study workbook that I was doing on the subject of forgiveness. And she told me that whenever those feelings of anger come back up, as they will, and we need to accept that as part of being human we don't typically forget, that I need to remind myself that I have released that to the Lord, and if I needed the extra reminder to look back to what I wrote. Even though I no longer need to go back and actually look at those words, they are there and they give me strength. Another thing about forgiveness that I have found, especially in a complex relationship, is that while we have truly from the bottom of our hearts forgiven them for certain things, that other bits and pieces of the puzzle come up from time to time ... during times when the Lord feels we are ready to deal with those issues. And we need to deal with each of these issues. And sometimes it feels like we haven't made any headway in the area of forgiveness at all. As to the current relationship between me and my ex ... he and I have not spoken in over a year. This works really well for us, because last time we spoke ... well, I'm sure you can imagine what that might have been like, and it's just better that we have gone our separate ways. Our son has his own cell phone to make and receive calls to/from his dad, which allows their relationship to develop on its own. I don't say anything negative about him (he is discovering things about his dad on his own, and starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together), but I do encourage him to have that relationship with his dad. For me, I think releasing the anger and bitterness is the test of true forgiveness. I still have the terrible memories that come back from time to time, but I am able to pray in truth from my heart for him ... that he finds happiness and peace and joy in the Lord. So, for all my rambling here, the point is ... yes, you need to reach a point of forgiveness, and yes, it is okay to not pursue a relationship with Brenda. God brings people into our lives ... sometimes for life, and sometimes for a season ... to teach us things ... some good stuff ... some bad stuff ... and we have the choice to allow Him to use these lessons to help others along the path. As for your aunt, I don't know if she can see things through your eyes. It seems she means well, that she wants to do the "right thing" ... but what one person considers the "right thing" may be the completely wrong thing for another. I need to think about this and pray about it a little more. I want to look through my study about forgiveness and pass along some of the verses and reading I did that was helpful to me.
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