Forgiveness does not change the past but it does enlarge the future - Paul Lewis Boese

 

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you - Lewis B Smedes

 

There is a saying that holding onto offense or unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping that the other person dies. Unforgiveness may feel like you have the power but it can actually hold you captive in the past as your mind is dwelling on this thing instead of being free to move forward in thinking about the future. 

 

Forgiveness can be so hard to do but forgiving people also frees you. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that what the person has done is ok and acceptable, it just means that you will not hold onto offense against that person any longer. You may need to forgive the same person daily for a long period of time. It helps to say outloud ‘I forgive this person and I choose to move on with my life’.

​

​