If you only aim to forgive, it’s like ignoring a problem just to move on, just for the sake of keeping the relationship or to be agreeable. Often, saying “I forgive you” implies that the other side is wrong, even though no one ever wants to be wrong or do wrong.

But if you aim to truly understand, it’s like making a genuine effort to connect and see the issue from the other side’s end. This is much, much more difficult, but it’s only with understanding that we move further “into” a relationship rather than just moving “on.” Saying “I want to understand you because I love you” and then listening is a lot more effective for building closer relationships.

Today we want to forgive too often, understand too rarely.

I truly believe this concept is one of the top 10 things every human should live by, so I really hope this makes more sense to you now. Even though I agree that the language of this quote is a little stylized, simplified, and overly metaphorical, it seems as if most my readers understood it. One of my readers even sent me a personal message thanking me for writing it and discussing what an impact living by this concept has meant to her life.

Nonetheless, thank you for reading and as always, thank you for your honest feedback. I’ll always need it because too few people speak their mind.

Love Always,
<3 Nathan