Forgiveness

I forgive you.

Some of us have done some nasty things, but I still forgive you.

Points are just numbers. Stories are the core of Reedsy, not numbers.

So no matter what you did-- whether you downvoted or spammed for points or bullied someone who got on your nerves-- I forgive you.

But you have to apologize. 

People are depressed, sad, even leaving, because of something you’ve done, maybe. I understand-- we all get jealous or angry at some point. But you have to say you’re sorry, you have to apologize to them.

Some people won’t forgive you.

“You took three months or points off me in three days! How dare you!”

“I thought you were my friend! How dare you!”

“Downvoting? I thought I knew you!”

“I feel so sad because of this! How dare you!”

“I don’t want to be friends with a bully.”

“Just leave already, before you hurt anyone else!”

“I wish you could turn back time and undo all the things you did and bring my friends back!”

But I forgive you. 

God put us here to love and forgive. Not to hate and let that hate simmer like a witch’s potion. God taught us to work together and be kind to one another. Not to start fights and lose your temper on everyone else. 

God put us here to care, to do to others what we want others to do to us, and to do what no animal could do--

FORGIVE.

I forgive you. 

It’s okay if not everyone forgives you straightaway, but do what you can to spread harmony. Leave kind comments. Upvote the downvoted. Apologize a thousand times if you must. Be humble. But don’t just leave as soon as word gets around that you did something wrong--say you’re sorry. Do it as many times as you must. 

If you were downvoting, upvote. 

If you were bullying, spread positivity and kindness. 

If you were being mean, say you’re sorry. 

(Yes, it’s a repeating thing. I will say you should apologize as many times as I can.) 

Now, if you haven’t done anything wrong, your goal is to forgive. Tell people it’s okay that they messed up, give them suggestions for ways to make others feel better. 

Forgive the person who downvoted you, forgive those who annoyed you. 

Forgive those who were cruel, mean, selfish, even downright nasty to you.

Forgive people who didn’t even do bad things to you, forgive the people who did bad things to your friends. 

Forgive. 

(I know I say this a lot, but you have to forgive and apologize.)

Now, you’re probably saying “why are you saying this, Emerald? What’s your problem?”

Because I care.

It’s almost Easter, it’s Holy Week now. 

So even if you aren’t Cristian, you should think about this:

God put us here to love.

Not to downvote. 

God put us here to forgive.

Not to spam “shame on you” to those who disturbed you and your friends. 

God put us here as a community. 

God made two people, Adam and Eve, not one.

So. 

What are you going to do?

Are you going to send angry emojis to the people who downvoted, bullied, or insulted?

Are you going to leave when things get tough, or are you going to ask for forgiveness?

Are you going to hate and spam, or are you going to love thy virtual neighbor? 

It’s up to you, really. But this is a message I want to spread. 

If you have been downvoted, put this in your bio.

I forgive you, downvoters, and even though you’ve made mistakes, I will say it’s okay. You should stop downvoting now, and ask for forgiveness. But if you say sorry, I will forgive you. Just stop downvoting, and apologize to everyone you hurt, and we will forgive you. Be sure to love thy virtual neighbor and support fellow writers, because we are all in this together. We are all writers, and we will triumph with the power of our stories.

If you have been downvoting, say you’re sorry to everyone you hurt, even if they’ve left. You’ve hurt people, you know But if you apologize and stop downvoting, you can stop anything else from going wrong. You can help. You can stop something that has been affecting a lot of us--our friends leaving due to downvoting. 

You can stop the spread of writers leaving Reedsy. 

All you have to do is say two words:

I’m sorry.

All the people who have been downvoted--you only have to say three words in return.

I forgive you.

It’s really easy.

Lent is ending, so even if you aren’t Cristian, you can still take advantage of this opportunity. 

Apologize and forgive.

#StopDownvotingNow

#SupportFellowWriters

#ApologizeAndForgive

#LiveLearnAndLove

Also, if you’ve been having any problems, I’ll be here to talk. 

Please share this story! 

Thank you! 

On behalf of all of Reedsy. 

Thanks,

Emerald, Peacekeeper, emoji lover, friend, forgiver, and overall nice person.

🙏🏼✝️🙏🏼😊✝️🙏🏼✝️🙏🏼😊✝️🙏🏼✝️🙏🏼😊✝️🙏🏼✝️🙏🏼😊✝️🙏🏼✝️🙏🏼😊✝️

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.

I am loved, you are loved, and we are all appreciated by someone out there.