Forgiving Others - Remembering that None of Us Are Perfect

Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family.
   - Henri Nouwen

This quote speaks to a profound truth. None of us are perfect. All of us make mistakes. Each of us at times falls short. We disappoint. We hurt others. We forget. We fail to love as purely and as generously as we could – and as we would like to be loved ourselves.

But in remembering that all of us struggle with the imperfection of our achievements and with complexity and insecurity, perhaps that can enable us to have more patience, more understanding and more grace with everyone else. Forgiveness absolutely needs to be an everyday habit, an everyday response to those around us. If we do not forgive we will always be disappointed, always feel resentful, always bear the burden of grudges.

To love and be loved more fully and well we need to practice the art of forgiving and allowing for our common human frailties. This is simply the “great work of love among the fellowship of the weak” among the human family of which all of us are part.

It is a truth we do well not to forget.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash