What is the hardest thing in life? Many would consider going to college, experiencing the death of a loved one, or having a child to be the hardest things. I disagree. You might experience those things in a different way when you go through them, but people can tell you how to get through those things. You might disagree with my opinion, but it’s called an opinion for a reason.

The hardest thing in life is learning to forgive.

Learning to put aside your feelings, your emotions, and your pride to reach peace. This cannot be taught. This cannot be explained. Wise people advise others to forgive, and we hear in church that we are supposed to forgive others and ourselves. Excuse the cliché, but that is easier said than done.

Everything we as humans are told to do is to strive to be better, make good moral decisions, achieve our ideas of success. Our society has become so headstrong about following through with our decisions. One of the most under taught and unused ideals in our society is forgiveness. When someone has an opposing view or is clearly wrong, what do you do? What have you done in the past? Agree to disagree? In your head you are still right and you are just avoiding conflict.

So much of today’s youth is raised thinking they are entitled to so much and they have an “I don’t care” attitude. Well it’s great that you don’t care. Just like the machine you use to post your thoughts on a feed, you too are becoming a machine. Heartless and uncaring. You learn to avoid. You make new friends. You graduate high school. You find another job. These are not relationships. You are simply deteriorating your own character.

So I say to anyone reading this. Have a heart. Solve a conflict when you otherwise wouldn’t. Forgive when it hurts most.