Forgiveness is not Denial
Forgiveness should not be deceitfully understood to refer to the suppressing of hostile feelings that arise when one is offended. Did you know that, just as it happened with Birungi, some people bury ‘the hurt’ so deep within their minds to the point that they claim to have forgiven offenders? That is what Nassama encountered when she surprisingly realised that she still had a strong resentment for Nyelo, a school bully who had hurt her several decades ago. “Such people condemn themselves to a life of self-falsehood and denial” she advises, warning that keeping offences at the back of one’s mind can never provide sustainable relief. It is like a dormant volcano which will erupt one day, spewing up molten lava to your detriment and to that of others in your vicinity. That is when you will realise that an issue you once declared as healed is still painful.