Does Forgiveness Automatically Mean Reconciliation?
We may fight, we may argue, we may hurt each other, but in the end he/she always forgives me and we make up. Though that previous sentence was simply a reference to bad relationships it is a perfect segway into the meat of this article.
Does Forgiveness Automatically Mean Reconciliation? If someone comes crawling back to you and you forgive them, are you two reconciled?
Definition of Forgiveness
To forgive is defined as the act of letting go of anger towards a person due to something they did to you. Forgiveness implies that you do not have something directly against the person that did you wrong. You acknowledge that they did something wrong to you, but despite that you choose to give them another chance, you do not immediately condemn them for their faults. You forgive them, and your forgiveness is like a prescription.
Definition of Reconciliation
Reconciliation is defined as the restoration of harmony to a relationship. It is, if a trust is broken or if something bad happens, you reconcile and are back on friendly terms with one another. When you are reconciled with one another, you wholly accept the other person back into your life and you are once again connected back to the level, maybe a bit stronger now that you've been through something like this. Basically, Reconciliation is healing.
These descriptions may seem like they are one and the same to most people. However, let's picture a real life scenario. Two friends are at odds at one another because of one of them has broken the other one's table by doing a dumb stunt. The one who broke the table asks for forgiveness from his friend. His friend, who was mad for a time, forgave his friend for breaking his table. Stop here and think, did they reconcile? Is their friendship automatically restored to their days of playing video games and drinking soda with Doritos?
There are times, there are situations where that is possible, it depends on the persons involved. But in most scenarios, it is not the end. The one that had his table broken may still feel a little anxious around his friend considering his "risk-taking, no time to think" attitude. There may be no anger between the two of them but are they still the friends they used to be? That would probably be a no. Their relationship may still be a bit strained even after one of them is forgiven.
Forgiveness does not automatically refer to reconciliation. Usually, it is a process. You forgive them for the wrong they did to you, though you still have a little uneasiness around them. Over time, or maybe even instantly, you choose to reconnect your relationship and continue on with it as it were before, that is reconciliation. Reconciliation usually happens either over time or after a selfless act of friendship shown by the person who did the wrong thing.
Hopefully, this article has helped you gain some more information about forgiveness reconciliation, and you will be able to discern between the two in the near future.
