Forgiveness & Reconciliation

 "OK," she said. Over, and over, and over again. Every time Bitterness came back with the memories that kept Her hardened for so long, she forgave again.

    "But I made you strong!" Bitterness argued, approaching again.
    "No!" she set her glare determinedly against Bitterness. "You made me impervious. New hurt and anger couldn't get in, but you kicked love out because you couldn't exist together, let the old hurt and anger stay, and then you built your wall that I thought would keep me safe the next time I loved. Instead, new love couldn't get in, either, and I couldn't get the old hurt and anger out, and instead of preparing me for new love like you said they would, all they did was reopen the old wounds whenever they started to heal!"
    "That's how I protected you! So it wouldn't happen again! If the wounds healed, you would forget how much it hurt, and let it happen again! Your past did that to you!" Bitterness defended vehemently, indicating Her scars.
    "No!" she returned incredulously, "My past made the initial injury. You reopened it, over, and over, and over again, and caused an infection so severe, that everyone else stopped trying to even come around for fear of becoming infected themselves!" She took a deep, resolving breath. "I did this to myself, by letting you stay! Eventually, I realized it wasn't just everyone else who needed forgiveness and reconciliation, it was me, too."

    Around that time, Love walked up, salve in hand.

    "Ready?" Love asked. She nodded, and faced Bitterness once again.
    "Goodbye, Bitterness." She closed the door and bolted it shut.
    "Thank you, for fixing my door," she told Strength and Love for the 10th, 50th, and 100th time.
    "Of course!" they'd say, "Good, sturdy boundaries are needed. Now, only those you want to let in, can, you're learning who that should and should not be, and if you're wrong, you can always send them off again."

    Then, she sat down next to Love, and Love would proceed to apply salve to all her scars.
    At first, this was a very painful process, especially for some wounds more than others.

    "Please, maybe not that one today?" she cringed and whispered, tears in her eyes as she anticipated the sting that would come with the salve.
    "If I don't, your wounds won't heal, and they'll stay infected," Love always reasoned, gently. Strength took Her hand as she nodded and grit her teeth.

    But over time, it hurt less and less, and now, even the scars were starting to fade. Bitterness came around less and less often, and it was easier to turn away.
    She couldn't have forgiven and reconciled with her past if it weren't for Strength and Love, sent by Her Savior who saw the wall, and the infection, and didn't turn away, but brought the only solution that could bring the healing that she sought for so long.