Gretchen Lawson: Forgiveness can be a really hard thing to define, especially in our society. There are a lot of myths about forgiveness. So, forgiveness is not seeking revenge on someone that has hurt us. Forgiveness is taking the debt that someone else owes us. Forgiveness is a process of dealing with our pain and making a choice to move toward letting go of that pain, letting go of toxic emotions like anger and resentment and bitterness.
Gretchen Lawson: Forgiveness is a difficult process and can take time. It can be helpful to invite someone into that process, to have a counselor or a hope coach walk you through some of the steps of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgiveness is actually looking at and talking about what has happened to you, dealing with the emotions. It is not forgiving ... forgetting.
For more answers to your questions on forgiveness, watch these videos:
How do I forgive if they haven’t said I’m sorry?
What are the steps to forgiveness?
What if I feel like the offense is unforgivable?
Need someone to talk to about forgiveness? TheHopeLine offers free confidential live chat with a Hope Coach to help you with forgiving someone. We are here to listen and support you without judgment.
