What do they have in common?

Thinking about a couple of different words this morning and wondering if they share a common ground.

I don't know if you have ever been repelling or not, but I've been a couple of times over the years and love it. The hardest part of repelling though isn't going down the side of the rocks. The hardest part of the climb is leaning back and taking that first step over the edge. Two things about that make it scary. One is that you have to trust the person down below you who is belaying your rope (or the pin if you don't have someone below). And the second thing is that it doesn't feel very natural to lean back over a ledge. You want to to step down and go that way, but it requires you to lean back laying almost flat out over the edge and then start walking down the side. Every part of you is screaming that you are going to fall or that you shouldn't do it that way. You think you know better and this just doesn't seem right. It comes down to how much are you willing to trust someone else. That can be tough sometimes. I was talking to friend last night who I have a hard time trusting sometimes. He doesn't always follow through on what he says he will do at times. So it comes down to if I am willing to let go of my insecurities and just trust him. It can be awkward and not feel natural because I don't want to let go and trust. It doesn't seem like the way I should do it, but I have to trust if I am going to step over the edge and have a friendship.

Trust is one word. The other word is forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn't come naturally for me either. I want to hold on to the pain (Why in the world would someone want to do that? I have no clue, but I do at times.) and not forgive. I used to hold major grudges and not let things go. I would remember a slight from months before and not truly forgive someone. That is ingrained in me and something I still struggle with.

The common ground to me between trust and forgiveness is that it requires me to let go. If I am holding on tightly to my doubts, my fears, my hurts, whatever, then I can't let go. To trust means letting go of the illusion of control. To forgive means to let go of the wrongs (real or perceived) done to me. Both actions require me to let go. Both are my choice. Can you let go and trust? Can you let go and forgive?

The tough question is this... so what? So what are going to do in risking trust? So what are going to do about forgiving those in your life you need to forgive? Life isn't a theory exam. It requires us to take action. Hope you struggle throughout the day with this. I don't want to feel like I am the only one struggling to lean back over the ledge. What are you willing to let go of?