By the Rev. Andrea J. Myers, Grace Lutheran Church

The one-year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti was Jan. 12. In the articles and updates published at the time, one statistic stood out. The earthquake left behind approximately 22 million cubic yards of debris, mostly concrete rubble and rebar. (That’s more than five times the volume of concrete needed to build the Hoover Dam.) One year later, only 5 percent of that debris has been removed, according to Time Magazine.

The rubble is a daily reminder of their national trauma, the continued chaos of their government and their community. The work of rebuilding is hindered by literal stumbling blocks. It will be impossible for Haiti and the city of Port-au-Prince to recover until the rubble has been cleared.

The list of needs following the earthquake has been significant. The purchase of heavy equipment like backhoes has taken a lower priority. Clearing the rubble is tough, back-breaking work, the kind that doesn’t offer a quick return on investment. The dusty task of crushing concrete isn’t as appealing to donors, who would rather fund new schools, health clinics and temporary housing. However, the community cannot make a fresh start until they have a clear slate on which to build new foundations for homes, schools, government and commerce.

This image reminds me of a different kind of difficulty that we face in our own lives. So often we neglect the messy, hard work of forgiveness. When we have been injured by someone, or when our trust has been betrayed, it creates figurative rubble in our lives. So long as we nurse the grudge or relive the injury, it’s like we’re tripping over concrete stumbling blocks. We nurse our stubbed toe and try to get on with life. But until we undertake the work of forgiveness, we won’t be able to clear away the rubble of resentment, hurt and anger. We won’t be able to make a fresh start.

Jesus knew this about us. Perhaps this is why he preached so much about forgiveness. He knew that we would rather continue to sit in judgment over the one we’ve seen fall from grace in the community, even when they’ve satisfied their sentence. We’d rather nurse our anger toward a person in the church who failed us in a time of need. In the midst of a family feud, it’s just easier to perpetuate the cycle of hurtful words. So Jesus preached about the generous mercy and forgiveness of God.

And he calls us to forgive others with the same generosity. When the apostle, Peter, asked him how often he should forgive another member of the church who has sinned against him, Jesus tells him to continually forgive him — as many as 70 times (Matthew 18:21-22). Jesus makes no room for holding grudges. He recognized that we could not truly love our neighbor if we were still tripping over the rubble standing between us.

Forgiveness won’t necessarily come quickly. It takes time to gain enough distance from our injury to let go of the pain, and deciding not to retaliate requires strength. Yet it is in clearing away the rubble that we find peace, and the freedom to move freely without fear of a stubbed toe. In forgiving others, we find the strength to make a fresh start.