‘Tis the season.

The season for family, friends and gatherings. The season for houses stuffed full of more people than they were ever intended to hold.  Music, food, presents and people. The season for peace and love.

It may also be the season where family tensions get in the way of some of the peace and love. Gatherings can get a little tense when feelings have been hurt or mistakes made.

It may be the season to ask for, receive and grant forgiveness.

Here is the thing, we all mess up. Some of us are repeat messer uppers. Some of us mess up a little and others of us mess up in a BIG, TERRIBLE way.

Christmas seems to be the time when family and friends who have messed up feel the need to clean up their messes and seek forgiveness. It’s not easy. To realize that you’ve made a mess and to ask someone you’ve hurt to forgive you.

It’s double hard to do when you approach the person you wish to have forgive you and they stand with their arms folded across their chest. They send the message, “Uh uh. No way”

It’s easy to chicken out, to not say anything, to smile and try your best to get through the day and not rock the boat when all you really want to do is come clean, ask for forgiveness and find out what you need to do to make amends.

I understand that sometimes things happen between people that are just too hard to let go of. It feels impossible to forgive. The hurts are too BIG. I’m not judging and I’m not saying you HAVE to forgive  something truly horrible. I am saying that if you are holding a grudge that COULD POSSIBLY be forgiven and you are approached by someone seeking your forgiveness please try to have an open heart. Please try to stand with your arms down at your side. Please try to see that there is another side to the story.

And if you are the person who needs to ask for forgiveness please try to understand that maybe you went too far. Maybe it’s not possible. But it’s always worth the risk of asking. It’s worth the risk of extending an olive branch even if the answer is “no” or “not yet”.

It’s not easy but do what you can. Life is short, people are precious and time flies by.

Could it be that it ’tis the season of forgiveness for you or someone you love? Give it a chance.