Forgiveness Is Not For Others

Forgiveness is not for others. It is for you.

There are so many ways that forgiveness can help you and how unforgiveness can hurt you. Unforgiveness will empower those who own you to OWN you. You hold on to the hurt and anger expecting closure or expecting an apology. But sometimes, well, honestly, most of the time, you will never get that. They own you just from the fact that you are waiting for that, for that apology, for that closure.

Unforgiveness is a spirit of bondage that keeps you stagnant and stuck. It can hold you in this cycle for years, waiting for them to admit what they did. 

Letting go, lets you go.

In order for us to continue to grow, we have to learn how to continue letting go with or without an apology.

We need to remember that forgiveness is NOT...an approval of what the offender did to you.

Is not closing our eyes to the wrong.

Is not repression.

Forgiveness is not forgetting.

Forgiveness is not submitting to abuse.

Forgiveness is not automatically trusting again.

It is not always the restoration of a relationship. You can forgive, but it's knowing that you're not going to get played again that teaches us a lesson.

Forgiveness is not avoiding confrontation. You are allowed to say your feelings. Just don't expect the other person to hear you or agree with you. They may never own what they did to you, and that's okay, say your peace, if you must, and then let it go.

So today, my friends, I am here to tell you that forgiveness is a spirit of liberation that sets you free. It sets you free so that you can fulfil the rest of your life. Forgiveness is for you. It is not for them. It sets you free from the anger and bitterness that you carry inside of you while they are carrying on with their life, not thinking about you or what they did to you. It's like taking poison and hoping the other person dies. You are killing yourself by not forgiving and not moving on.

Always remember 

"What you can become depends on what you can overcome."