Day 4 – 2018 AWAC

It’s Saturday! Don’t forget to email me (barefootedsemmie[at]gmail[dot]com) or contact me to let me know if you wrote each day this week so I can enter your name in the drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card at the end of the month!

The 2018 August Write Away Challenge

If you’re just joining us, please feel free to go back and read the previous content so you’re up to speed! Otherwise, scroll down for today’s prompt.

• 2018 August Write Away Challenge original post
• Day 1 – What book did you read over and over again as a child?
• Day 2 – Some of the things that make me happy are…
• Day 3 – Name three things you’d do if you weren’t so afraid.

Reminders before we get started:

• The prompt is to use or ignore as you wish;
• Absolutely any form of the written word is allowed;
• All participation will be on the honor system, though sharing is strongly encouraged;
• Participants will be asked to let me know each week that they’ve written daily;
• Those who do write daily for the week will have their name entered into a drawing at the end of the month for a $25 Amazon Gift Card;
• Any blogger who participates and writes every day for the month will receive a badge for your blog.
• Please send me an email or contact me to let me know you’re participating!

Sat, Aug. 04- How easy is it for you to forgive those who have caused you pain?

I would love to meet the person who says forgiveness is easy. It isn’t. Forgiveness is hard work. It is intentional work. Sometimes it is a lifelong process. It is never easy.

But I think we often mistake forgiveness. If you’re like me and you were raised in a Christian home, going to church thrice weekly (or more), you probably have this idea that forgiveness means relationship is restored. Would it be great if that was always the case? Yes. Yes, it would. And I think that is the goal of forgiveness — restoration. As a Christian, that is the result of God’s forgiveness toward me — I am restored to fellowship with Him. Forgiveness between two human beings, however, doesn’t necessarily result in restored relationship.

This idea of forgiveness is one of the main themes I am exploring in my upcoming young adult fantasy novel, Becoming: The Prophecies of Wicket Lake. The story begins with four characters who live in close relationship with one another, whose lives are changed in an instant by the jealous decision of one who has been hurting for many years. It is inevitable that there will be forgiveness, because there is love between the characters; and yet, as I approach the first real encounter (with face-to-face interaction) between two of these individuals since the tragedy occurred, I know that forgiveness will not happen immediately, nor will it restore the fellowship that once existed. I have known this from the start (and this isn’t a spoiler; I think it’s pretty clear from the beginning that this character will not be able to restore relationships).

It isn’t merely forgiveness between two people, either. The young woman who acted out in jealousy and fear cannot be restored to those she loves — even if they could forgive her — unless she is able to forgive herself. That is when forgiveness is the hardest.

Isn’t it true of us, also? It is our own sin, our own awful decisions, our own selfishness that keeps us awake at night. It is our own behavior that is the most difficult to forgive.

Consider this: If I cannot forgive you, it causes a rift between us — a break in our relationships. What happens to my relationships — not only with you, but with everyone in my life — if I cannot forgive myself?

Happy AWAC writing!

From the shores of Wicket Lake,