Day Five: The Forgiveness Project

The Forgiveness Project was founded in 2004 by journalist, Marina Cantacuzino. It works to collect and share stories from both victims/survivors and perpetrators of crime and conflict who have rebuilt their lives following hurt and trauma. The Forgiveness Project provides resources and experiences to help people examine and overcome their own unresolved grievances.

Its website shares many inspirational stories from around the world, like that of Natalia Aggiano. In 1997, after 30 years of bullying and abuse, her mother was brutally murdered by her father at his home in Scunthorpe. The story charts the difficult childhood she endured, the relationship that slowly began to blossom with her mother and all that she learnt from her, and the journey to forgiveness she underwent with her father. It is a most moving and remarkable story that led to Natalia writing a book about her experience called Unconditional Love.

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! (Matthew 18:21-22).

Forgiveness is one of the most difficult concepts to get to grips with, because we find it so hard to forgive someone who has wronged us. Perhaps that is why Jesus put it at the heart of his parable stories, put it at the heart of The Lord’s Prayer, so that we might learn to be transformed, just as God’s unconditional forgiveness of our sins transforms us.

When we don’t forgive someone who has hurt us, it is ourselves who are imprisoned, our life and freedoms that are curtailed. Not for one moment do I suggest that forgiving is easy, having read so many different stories on The Forgiveness Project website I understand something of the courage and resilience that is required. For some it is a short journey, for others that journey can take a lifetime. But undoubtedly it is a journey we should undertake. Forgiving is the right thing – if only it wasn’t so difficult to do!

Forgiveness is also something that is very hard to talk about. It makes me smile that The Forgiveness Project call their latest social media offering The F Word Podcast. There is a taboo about it, like talking about grief and death. How many people cross the road to avoid talking to someone about hurt, forgiveness and death?

The Forgiveness Project is a really useful tool to help us think and act about forgiveness. Take a look at their website and be inspired by what you find. As they say:

At the heart of The Forgiveness Project is an understanding that restorative narratives have the power to transform lives; not only supporting people to deal with issues in their own lives, but also building a climate of tolerance, resilience, hope and empathy.

Psalm 51 - The Message

A David Psalm, After He Was Confronted by Nathan About the Affair with Bathsheba

Generous in love—God, give grace!

Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt,

soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been;

my sins are staring me down.

You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen

it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,

in the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Neil Chappell