Sunday 27 November 2011

My past catches up with me!

Hello, readers.

Some of you may have noticed some negative comments posted on a previous post of mine, disparaging my conduct in a previous job I held.

Needless to say, these posts are lies and/or irrelevant.  I don't want to delete them because I don't want to look as though I have anything to hide.  I was the victim of bullying at a previous job of mine, which my current boss is fully aware of and fully sympathetic to.  I have worked hard to try and move past the experience, but the petty and shallow behaviour of some of the people involved seems to have followed me here.

One of them mentioned in their post that Christians are supposed to "forgive" people.  To be the better person.

This reminds me of something in my mother's book, Learning to Love.  How do you forgive someone who hasn't said they're sorry?  Who hasn't acknowledged the hurt they've caused you?  Can you break ties with someone and forgive them at the same time?  She points out that Jesus says you must ask forgiveness before your Father can give it to you - without acknowledgement of wrongdoing, true FORGIVENESS - the reparation of a relationship - cannot happen.  Making peace with the hurt someone has caused you is a different thing - forgiving someone in your own heart is different from forgiving and repairing a relationship.  I have moved on in my own life, to a job where I feel as though I am appreciated, where I am thriving, where I am making a difference.  I find it sad that people would follow me to this blog three years after the events and try to defame my character.  But I am no longer eaten up with bitterness and hatred as I was three years ago.  And for that, I have Father Michael and Father Robert to thank, who have shown me such support and welcome in my ministry at St. George's, as well as all the parents, who have entrusted me with their children and welcomed me into their lives.

I'm sorry for anyone who has come across these posts and hope that they will not distract you from the main purpose of this blog, which is to share ideas and experiences on the topics of children's ministry and children's spirituality.

I pray for all who have been victims of bullying, and for all who are bullies, that all may come together in love in God's kingdom.

3 comments:

  1. Un-be-frickin-lievable. In every sense of the word: all the hallmarks of trolling. Nobody who happened to run across those posts would credit them for a second.

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  2. I am sorry that you've had to deal with hateful comments. But I like your closing prayer, "for all who have been victims of bullying, and for all who are bullies, that all may come together in love in God's kingdom." A beautiful response.

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  3. I love that you've turned this experience into a (very moving) discussion of forgiveness. You are my role model for how to get past human cruelty, and make it into something positive.

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