We had not parted on good terms. Though his words and actions had intended good, they had caused great harm. Nearly seven years ago, we parted company with a heavy silence between us. At one time we had worked together for a common purpose in a place that we both dearly loved, but with the pain of words and deeds creating a chasm between us, we simply went our separate ways.
And then because of circumstance, rather than intention, about ten days ago, we found ourselves in the same place again. Without hestiation, and with tears streaming down his face, he sought me out and asked me a simple, yet profound question, "will you please forgive me?" In a renconciling embrace, by the grace and mercy of God, a burdensome weight was lifted from both of us.
In those moments, I realized the powerful truth contained in the saying of an unknown author, "to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you."
