Christmas is about forgiveness.
That’s what we’re told, anyway.
I wish I could forgive. I really do. But forgiveness is not a switch you flip to appear virtuous. It’s something you grow into – and sometimes the ground is still too raw.
🕯️ When the Wounds Are Still Open
The pain was too deep.
The scars are not metaphors; they are reminders.
They mark what was done, what was endured, and what cannot simply be smoothed over by the calendar changing or the season asking for grace on demand.
🤍 Honesty Is Not Bitterness
Not forgiving is not hatred.
It is not vengeance.
Sometimes it is simply honesty – the quiet acknowledgment that healing has not yet caught up with expectation.
✨ What I Can Offer This Christmas
I can offer truth.
I can offer restraint.
I can offer the refusal to pretend that harm disappears because it makes others uncomfortable.
And maybe that, too, has a place at Christmas.
