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The Art of Forgiveness
Some not so good quotes on forgiveness:
“Sometimes the first step to forgiveness is understanding the other person is a complete idiot.” ~Bill Murray (Twitter)
“I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.” ~ Emo Philips
Have you ever heard the expression, “I forgive you, but I will not forget”? There are still others that say, “If you don’t forget, then you have never really forgiven.” There are problems with all of these expressions.
For those who say, “I forgive you, but I will not forget,” I doubt forgiveness was really given. It sounds like a veiled threat. The next statement, “If you don’t forget, then you have never really forgiven,” is impossible. You can never really forget what someone has done to hurt you. We were designed to remember. From the day we were born, our brains turn on the memory banks, and we retain massive amounts of information. When we are hurt by someone, or if we hurt someone else, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we remember.
Two phrases we should focus on more are,
“Please forgive me,”
and
“I forgive you.”
Before we unpack the act of forgiveness, we must understand the bondage caused by unforgiveness.