FORGIVENESS

The most creative power given to the human spirit is the power to heal
the wounds of a past it cannot change.

We do our forgiving alone inside our hearts and minds;
what happens to the people we forgive depends on them.
The first person to benefit from forgiving is the one who does it.

Forgiving happens in three stages:
we rediscover the humanity of the person who wronged us;
we surrender our right to get even; and
we wish that person well.

Forgiving is a journey; the deeper the wound, the longer the journey.
Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive
is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.

Forgiving is not a way to avoid pain but to heal the pain.
Forgiving someone who breaks a trust does not mean that
we give him his job back.

Forgiving is the only way to be fair to ourselves.
Forgivers are not doormats; to forgive a person is not a signal
that we are willing to put up with what he does.
Forgiving is essential; talking about it is optional.

When we forgive, we set a prisoner free and discover
that the prisoner we set free is us.

When we forgive we walk in stride with the forgiving God.