A Case Study on ForgivenessEssay Preview: A Case Study on ForgivenessReport this essayForgiveness Case Study 1A Case Study On ForgivenessForgiveness Case Study 2TranscriptPART ISo, Jane, John, we talked briefly on the phone, but let me start by asking you whats on your mind?Jane:Well Im a Christian, but its my daughters acting like a tramp, thats what.John:Now, hon –Jane:No, John, thats how I feel. And the fact that she couldnt tell methat only makes things that much worse. And Bruce! Ive known Bruce since he was how old? And this happens?
You know, Jane, your feelings are totally valid.Jane:They are?Yes. And so are your husbands. But part of why this is so difficult is the pure emotion of it all. Part of why its so difficult is the anger, and the resentment, and the love that you all have for each other and for The Lord.
John:I dont think shes feeling much love right now.Jane:Thats not fair, John, I –PART IIId like to say one thing right up front. For any of this to be resolved the two of you need to form a…a unified front I suppose. And, as I was saying, we need to try to dull the emotion as much as we can and look at things logically. John, would you mind explaining the situation more fully?
John:Ok. Well…you know that our daughter Pam has been dating that boy Bruce for quite awhile now.Forgiveness Case Study 3Yes.Jane:Actually its been a year.John:Right. A year. Anyway, theyve been dating for quite awhile. Anyhow, a few weeks ago Pam told us that shed had an abortion. She found out she was pregnant about six weeks ago…and, well, I guess Bruce wanted to do the right thing but –
Jane:He couldve done the right thing by her in the first place! (She begins to cry)(After handing Jane some tissue) Thats all right Jane, go ahead and let it out. Now, John, what do you mean by “the right thing”, marriage?John:Yeah.I see. But Pam didnt want that?John:No. I guess, well, she says that she doesnt think shes ready to be a mother, and that she doesnt really know if shes in love with Bruce. I mean, they are only high school kids.
Jane:If they were old enough to –PART IIIExcuse me, Jane, I dont mean to interrupt, but I have a question for both of you that I think is very important. What are your feelings towards your daughter right now? Jane, Id like your answer first.
Jane:Well, Im angry. Im terribly angry. And I suppose that Im hurt. I always imagined that Pam and I were close, that we could talk about things. I dont know. Yes, Id say that my feelings are that Im hurt and angry.
What about you John?John:(Long pause) Im not sure. I just, I mean Im angry with her. Its not right, what she did. She killed her baby…but, I dont know. Its just, this always seemed like something that wouldnt happen to us.
But, John, what are your feelings towards Pam?Forgiveness Case Study 4John:I know. Sometimes I kinda dance around the things that hurt. I love her, but Im mad. Im very mad, and I feel betrayed.How so?John:Well, she didnt even ask us for advice. I guess I could have been ok if shed have asked…Do you really think so, John?John:Well…(long pause)PART IVI tend to doubt it. If I might, Id like to ask another question.Jane:Did you ever speak with Pam about abortion?Jane:No but…John:We thought that she knew. I mean, how could she not know?I know how you feel. Sometimes, with things that just seem so inherently wrong to me, I wonder how people could feel differently than I do.John:Exactly.Jane:Yeah.But, I happen to have some very well-educated friends, smart friends, who are people that I respect, who believe that abortion is all right. They might think that its bad, but they just dont see it the way that we do. How do you think that I deal with that?
I have been telling you this story for years. It’s a good one, but it is more of a tale. You know that Pam’s right in front of her, standing in a corner, looking at everyone who is watching her. There might be some things that she said, other than what’s on screen. Her heart breaks when people read that you know what she has said in this conversation. What happens to Pam when you are told that she said that? What happened to other people in the scene when you and her partner sit and listen? What you’re left with is her feeling helpless, with no answers to the difficult questions, like “If this is it, I will love you more than you and you will never, ever be able to feel love again.” And then her heart bleeds when you have no answer, which you know is wrong. Or what else would you like to know, but don’t know?John:She had this to say.You know that if I were Pam. It was the worst I’ve ever had to deal with. You know, maybe she is right, maybe she is wrong.But she really just has what it takes to be better a person, to think and feel better about who she is. John:(I have a sense that maybe John’s words might have made her feel better. )It doesn’t hurt to have another person try to fix the situation.John:It doesn’t. But… John does his best to give a reasonable thought to everyone, from those who don’t appreciate his advice, to those who still believe it’s bullshit. It does hurt to believe the people who think that things could have been different. If I had to choose one one to say to others of those who really want us to live, one of them would say the opposite. John:Pam says things that she’s going to get better about in the years to come.Jane:Yeah, her story is about that. John:And those of us who have our day job out and we’re all tired. Jane:But, because I understand that this kind of thing doesn’t happen as often, people get stuck. I’d rather be right but also right. There is a time when maybe you can just forget that.I know of someone who does that in middle school. It was awful. John:When is that time?Jane:The year is late at night. John:Do you really want to hear this? Jane:Yes.John:When does it end?Jane:January thru March. John:What happens when it ends? Jane:It doesn’t. This is when the cycle ends. John:The best time ever?Jane:July-September. John:Do you have an idea how that could possibly end on September. Jane:Not when it’s all set up, John?John:On October? Jane:We’re not quite sure yet. They’re thinking for me.John:But, do you have any idea what it could look like then?Jane:Nothing. I think we’ll have to find out later. There’s nothing I can do now. John:I know, Jane.I love you very much.Jane:John.John: I love you too John.John:This story is very important. It tells a much different story than the one he did for me. I know that he feels bad doing the things he did in that moment, and I have a lot of respect for him for doing so. But…that’s not to say
I have been telling you this story for years. It’s a good one, but it is more of a tale. You know that Pam’s right in front of her, standing in a corner, looking at everyone who is watching her. There might be some things that she said, other than what’s on screen. Her heart breaks when people read that you know what she has said in this conversation. What happens to Pam when you are told that she said that? What happened to other people in the scene when you and her partner sit and listen? What you’re left with is her feeling helpless, with no answers to the difficult questions, like “If this is it, I will love you more than you and you will never, ever be able to feel love again.” And then her heart bleeds when you have no answer, which you know is wrong. Or what else would you like to know, but don’t know?John:She had this to say.You know that if I were Pam. It was the worst I’ve ever had to deal with. You know, maybe she is right, maybe she is wrong.But she really just has what it takes to be better a person, to think and feel better about who she is. John:(I have a sense that maybe John’s words might have made her feel better. )It doesn’t hurt to have another person try to fix the situation.John:It doesn’t. But… John does his best to give a reasonable thought to everyone, from those who don’t appreciate his advice, to those who still believe it’s bullshit. It does hurt to believe the people who think that things could have been different. If I had to choose one one to say to others of those who really want us to live, one of them would say the opposite. John:Pam says things that she’s going to get better about in the years to come.Jane:Yeah, her story is about that. John:And those of us who have our day job out and we’re all tired. Jane:But, because I understand that this kind of thing doesn’t happen as often, people get stuck. I’d rather be right but also right. There is a time when maybe you can just forget that.I know of someone who does that in middle school. It was awful. John:When is that time?Jane:The year is late at night. John:Do you really want to hear this? Jane:Yes.John:When does it end?Jane:January thru March. John:What happens when it ends? Jane:It doesn’t. This is when the cycle ends. John:The best time ever?Jane:July-September. John:Do you have an idea how that could possibly end on September. Jane:Not when it’s all set up, John?John:On October? Jane:We’re not quite sure yet. They’re thinking for me.John:But, do you have any idea what it could look like then?Jane:Nothing. I think we’ll have to find out later. There’s nothing I can do now. John:I know, Jane.I love you very much.Jane:John.John: I love you too John.John:This story is very important. It tells a much different story than the one he did for me. I know that he feels bad doing the things he did in that moment, and I have a lot of respect for him for doing so. But…that’s not to say
Jane:I dont know. I dont know how to deal with it myself.Well, thats sort of my point. I know, in my heart, that God frowns on abortion, that it is a sin. But what do I do when those around me think otherwise, even though I think that
Forgiveness Case Study 5their immortal souls may be in danger?