The Injustice Gap

Not all offenses are created equal. The author Everett L. Worthington uses the term “injustice gap.”  He says that the greater the offense feels to us, the wider the injustice gap. The wider the injustice gap, the more difficult it is for us to forgive our offender.

An injustice gap is what we feel still needs to be repaired as a result of the violation. We’d like some kind of justice done on our behalf for the infraction, misdeed or wrongdoing done against us. 

Sometimes violations are small such as an interpersonal disruption between two people.  For instance, a miscommunication; someone says something and we are not sure what they meant. Or, we took someone’s words much more personally than we needed to or someone neglected to acknowledge us. 

Instead of considering such slights as someone’s premeditated rudeness, we can, with a little kindness, resolve the matter rather quickly. Maybe all we need to do is ask the person to explain to you what they meant or check to see if we took something more personally than we needed to. 

Such slights do not have to become a burr under our saddle, especially when we nip them in the bud. Not everything that is said or done is a moral matter done against us.  

Other times, we can reduce that injustice gap by simply ignoring what has been said. Sometimes when my husband says or does something that goes against my grain, I just remember that it is not about me. It most likely has something to do with someone or something else. I’m just the lucky one who happens to be around him the most. Like standing too close to a dog when they shake off excess water, I get wet sometimes. 

If addressing, in great kindness, a misunderstanding or if ignoring someone’s comments does not reduce the injustice gap something more may need to be done.

Any kind of physical, mental, sexual, or emotional abuse is not something that can be ignored or addressed with kind words. Neither could I close the injustice gap of my father’s suicide or my mother’s silence by ignoring the matter or even by trying to converse with my mother about it. 

In such cases as these, the injustice gap is very wide. Learning to apply forgiveness will more than likely be the thing that closes that injustice gap. 

Why Bother?

Why bother reducing the injustice gap? Offenses are not created equal. Some are simple little annoyances, irritations or just plain shortcomings. We can either let some things go or we can talk to the other person about what feels like a mild infringement. 

Since gaps do not close up on their own, it is up to us to decide what we need to do in order to reduce gaps of injustice in our lives.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who need clarity when it comes to understanding forgiveness. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.