When I first saw the title of this book, my first thought was, "No! I don't want to read another book that can't heal my relationship with my parents!" ...But regardless of my initial reaction, I felt compelled to read this book.As the title implies, this book is about forgiveness, but not necessarily reconciliation. The author shares the story of her relationship with her schizoid father, how he hurt her and her siblings, and how each of them chose to forgive him, and what that looked like in practice. Mrs. Fields also shares Biblical and contemporary cases where others have chosen to not allow the bitterness of unforgiveness to negatively impact their relationships with others.
Forgiveness, on any level, is mirroring God's forgiveness. It does not require anything from the offending party. We may never receive the love and acceptance from a parent that we are longing for, and if we continue to focus on that, we may damage of stifle the relationships we have or could have.
Although the author and others shared their stories of forgiveness, the book still encourages healthy boundaries.
For me, this was time well spent. It affirmed the direction I was going and showed me a new perspective as well. I think the biggest "take-away" for me was that honoring your parent(s) may just come in the form of living a productive and God-fearing life.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a free copy of this book by Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest opinion.
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