I’ve learned that forgiveness isn’t about the other person. It’s about me and my heart. When I can’t let go of something and forgive that offense, it eats away who I am. It twists me up with strong roots that eventually turn into bitterness. Unforgiveness keeps me from growing, learning, and living in the freedom of who God wants me to be.

It’s been said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Unforgiveness is actually killing us from the inside out. Our hearts are blackened with the sin of keeping score, of wanting vindication, of hoping that the other person can experience just a little of what we have felt. God knows the prison that unforgiveness will create in our hearts and minds. It’s an unholy place He cannot inhabit. He even says that if we can’t forgive others, He can’t forgive us. Wow! That’s a scary thought.

Forgiveness is letting others off our hook. It’s not an easy choice, and it does not mean forgetting, but it is the act of releasing and allowing God to deal with us in His way, in His time and He promises He will. 

“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭NLT‬‬