Forgiveness: Healing Family Wounds

Family Revelation and Healing

Ivarie and Devon were surprised when their fourteen-year-old daughter, Devina, and twelve-year-old son, Ivan, asked for a family meeting as soon as they got home from school. They waited for their parents to settle in. Ivarie quickly checked her phone for any messages from the school.

"Anything?" Devon asked.

"No," she replied, feeling frustrated. "Did you check your phone?"

"The father is the last person the school is going to call. Mothers first," he reminded her.

"Darn!" she muttered, settling into the sofa. Their children walked into the living room, their expressions unreadable.

Devina spoke first, rolling her eyes. "Today at school, some kids were talking about the fun they had with their grandparents."

"Mom, we don’t know your side of the family. I don’t know my grandparents or your brothers and sisters. Why not?" Devina asked.

"And I don’t want to marry my half-sister," Ivan added.

Three pairs of eyes turned to him in shock.

"You have a child I don’t know about?" Ivarie asked her husband.

"You all know my side of the family," Devon said, trying to stay out of the conversation.

Ivarie pulled him back. "You are supposed to support me here."

"Which half-sister don’t you want to marry?" Devon asked Ivan.

"I’m just saying I don’t know my family," Ivan explained.

"Dad, we don’t know much about Mom’s family. I could be in the same class as my cousin and not know it," Devina said.

"She doesn’t talk to her family," Devon pointed out.

Ivarie sighed, realizing her daughter was serious. "I kept you away from my family because I didn’t want them to mess up your lives like they did mine."

"Mom, we know about the abuse you endured," Devina said.

Ivarie turned to her husband. "You told our daughter about what they did to me?"

"Dad didn’t tell us anything," Devina said. "I heard you over the years talking to your friends on the phone. Mom, we’re not stupid."

Ivan added, "Mom, we noticed you have no family pictures here."

Ivarie sighed deeply. "Life does everything at the right time. My mom just died."

"What?" both children cried out.

"One of my aunts just told me," she said, holding up her phone. "I planned to go to the funeral alone."

"Can we go?" Devina asked.

Ivarie nodded.

Devina hugged her mother. "I know you survived and have forgiven them. But your children should know who to avoid."

Devon’s eyes met Ivarie’s, mixed with shock. He nodded in agreement.

One week later, Ivarie’s siblings were shocked to see her and her family at their mother’s wake. Her Aunt Dorsey stepped in. "Wrong timing!"

At the funeral, Ivarie couldn’t control her two sisters and brother.

Ionie screamed as their mother’s casket was lowered. "I hope Satan punishes her for what she did to us."

"And whips her with electric cords as she did to us," Ira, their brother, added.

"I hope he chains her to one of hell’s flaming radiators like she did to us," Iyanna added.

They all stared at Ivarie, who walked closer to the casket, threw in a single red rose, and said, "Thank you."

"How dare you come here with your happy family, pretending that devil was an angel!" Ionie screamed.

The rest of the family and friends stepped back.

As her siblings released their anger, Ivarie’s family formed a protective circle around her.

"You walk in here as if you’re better than us and she wasn’t mean to you too!" Iyanna shouted.

"You’re the only happy fool here! Why?" Ira demanded.

"Because my mom knew the value of forgiveness!" Devina shouted, stepping forward. "My mother used forgiveness to cleanse her body, mind, heart, and soul!"

Three pairs of eyes filled with years of hatred and pain stared at her.

"Forgiveness is a gift you should give yourself so you can be as happy as my mom!" Devina continued. "She didn’t deny you your happiness. The hate you held onto did!"

Unconsciously, they stepped back as Devina approached with the tool of truth.

"You’re adults. Use forgiveness to cleanse your hearts as my mom did. With so much hatred inside you, love will pass you by! My mom used forgiveness to clean her heart, and that’s why she’s happy!"

The crowd clapped, and Ivarie’s family rushed to embrace her.

"Oh, Mom, I’m sorry for everything that—"

Smiling as if she won a prize for forgiveness, Ivarie hugged her daughter tightly. "I’m not sorry for what was done to me. I didn’t realize that I was using forgiveness to find happiness. If my life had been better, I might not have the love of such a good family."

"So, your mother’s cruelty was worth the price?" Devina asked.

Devon and Ivarie’s eyes widened, and they hugged their children in gratitude.

You and I are like Ivarie. We’re satisfied with the price we paid for our love because we know that everything in life comes at a price.

The cruelty done to us as children—many haven’t been able to move past the pain, letting hatred stop their happiness. Using forgiveness as a cleanser to remove the hate allows love in and makes it worth the price.

If your heart could speak, what would it say?

Use forgiveness to clean your heart, allowing light and love in.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this piece.