Matthew 6: 12
“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Forgiving someone who has done your wrong and or hurt you deeply can be one of the toughest things you have ever done, but it is necessary! Unforgiveness keeps those wounds from healing. By choosing not to forgive you are choosing to remain bound by what they did! It hurts and you deserve justice but at some point you may have to let it go and understand that you may not see justice served, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. There is an old saying that I love, “He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he, himself, must pass.” (Lord Herbert) You cannot truly move forward in life until you forgive!

As long as you don’t forgive you are bound by that thing and that person! You are stuck with them until you let it go! Forgiving does not mean that you trust them or that you have to continue a relationship with them, but it does mean that you make the conscious choice to give it and them to God and you choose to no longer focus on the wrong that has been done to you! Is that easy? No, not at first, but as time goes on and you haven’t spent every waking moment letting it eat you up, the easier it is to look back on it and truly feel as though it is behind you!

Do you really want to waste years of your life, wallowing in that muck of unforgiveness? Choose to forgive! Choose to focus on something else! Satan will try to get you to hold on to that for as long as he can so you won’t be all that you can be and are called to be by God! No one should have such a power over you that what they have done will cause you to miss out on God’s best for your life! There’s so much out there for you to do! Don’t let the past keep you from it! The best is yet to come, but it is in front of you, you must shut that door to the past!  Remember …… Forgiveness is the door to your tomorrow!

Quote:
“Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about letting go of another person’s throat……Forgiveness does not create a relationship. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgment, but without true change, no real relationship can be established………Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive. But should they finally confess and repent, you will discover a miracle in your own heart that allows you to reach out and begin to build between you a bridge of reconciliation………Forgiveness does not excuse anything………You may have to declare your forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day will be less and each day after, until one day you will realize that you have forgiven completely. And then one day you will pray for his wholeness……”
― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack