To forgive or not to forgive is a heavy decision. What if forgiving could be as easy as plucking a daisy petal and casually reciting “Forgive me, forgive me not?” Even better, what if you could simply be forgiven for anything and everything that you ever did wrong, as long as you had genuine remorse? But what if you had to offer forgiveness to others in order to receive it yourself? This is where it gets hard. Forgiveness is a complex gift that is definitely easier to receive than to give.
Can we really view forgiveness as a gift? Sometimes, it feels like an undeserved gift that is being given to the very person who has committed the wrongdoing. However, under the right circumstances, it can be a gift that finally offers freedom and healing to the giver, without condoning the wrong. There really is an art to achieving genuine forgiveness.
It’s also an extremely useful gift to give ourselves because once we fully forgive ourselves for a past wrong, we can move forward with a sense of peace and purpose, without the burdens of guilt and continued criticism. The value of forgiveness lies in the pathway that it opens up for the one who chooses to forgive.
We’ve dedicated this entire episode to a topic that might be hard to accomplish but is definitely worth a try. We also give voice to those who say they can not forgive right now and dig into why. Do you have someone to forgive? Do you need to forgive yourself? Listen in and hear some powerful stories of forgiveness that might convince you to give the gift of forgiveness.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
The Bible has much to say about forgiveness, click for more verses