🔍 What Is Forgiveness (and What Is It Not)?

❌ What Forgiveness Is Not Forgiving is not justifying the offense or minimizing the pain we experienced. It’s not pretending nothing happened, and much less allowing the harm to be repeated. It also doesn’t mean forgetting what happened, erasing the other person from our memory, or restoring the relationship as if it had never been broken. These mistaken ideas are very common and often prevent us from beginning to heal. Believing that forgiveness is the same as reconciliation can push us into relationships that are no longer healthy. And thinking that we can only forgive if we receive an apology keeps us tied to the other person's behavior. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is an internal decision, independent of the other person's repentance. ✅ What Forgiveness Is Forgiving is a way to heal. It’s about releasing the emotional burden that keeps us tied to the past. It’s recognizing that what happened hurt us, but choosing not to let it keep hurting us. It doesn’t erase the ...