words

“I hate you!”

I remember those very words spewing from my mouth, aimed directly at my mother.

I was spiteful. I was angry.

It was ugly.

She could have hurled insults at me. She could have said many things. She could have pointed out how much of a jerk I was being. She could have been ugly right back.

But she didn’t.

One thing I have learned about Love is that Love and forgiveness go hand in hand. If you Love only for what you receive in return, you will be sorely disappointed. Love is about giving.

Forgiveness is hard. People are messy and awful to each other. We disappoint. We spew our ugliness all over other people. We betray. We are selfish.

People are broken.

Learning to love someone after they have hurt you can seem impossible. Sometimes the hurt is deep.

Loving is more than a feeling when times are good. Will you choose Love even after hurtful words are spewed at you? Will you choose Love when you are betrayed? Will you choose Love when it hurts?

When it comes to Love and forgiveness, the times I remember how extremely broken I am as a person and how capable I am of hurting others out of that brokenness, are the times I am able to extend grace, forgiveness and Love when people I Love hurt me.

Because I was that teenager, spewing words of hate.