I appreciated this post. Your vulnerability in both the situation you describe and the way you write about it is moving and inspiring. I’m just reading a David Augsburger book on forgiveness. He writes, “If we take Jesus’ concern for forgiveness as going to the brother or regaining the sister, then we will not reduce forgiveness to an attitude instead of an action,” and says restoring the relationship (which often means having the conversation) is a step that we often don’t include or get to in our common understanding of how to forgive, but that it’s central to the forgiveness that God calls us to. So good for you in daring to take that step. And glad to hear it went okay.

Luckily, I had some resources on white supremacy and Internalized Racial Superiority to share, and he was very interested in those. Not to “fix” the situation, but to give more perspective and resources for both of our journeys.

And he apologized for the different incidences over the last years. Just being able to articulate those and to hear his apology was very helpful.

We talked through the major incident where there was disagreement…and explored what happened there a little more from both of our perspectives. That was good.

We still don’t come out at the same place on a few issues, but we’re both okay and don’t need another conversation or anything. That’s a relief.

Thanks again for your support.

How did things go?

JeremyY

“Again, our fortress is Christ, our defense is patience, our sword is the Word of God, and our victory is the sincere, firm, unfeigned faith in Jesus Christ. Spears and swords of iron we leave to those who, alas, consider human blood and swine’s blood of well nigh equal value…”

“However lamentably we may here be persecuted, oppressed, smitten, robbed, burned at the stake, drowned in the water by Pharaoh and his cruel, unmerciful servants, yet soon shall come the day of our refreshing and all the tears shall be wiped from our eyes and we shall be arrayed in the white silken robes of righteousness, follow the Lamb…and possess the precious, pleasant land of eternal imperishable joy.”

Blessings and traveling mercies, ST.