“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......”
“Keep in mind, hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain. If somebody is rude and inconsiderate, you can almost be certain that they have some unresolved issues inside. They have some major problems, anger, resentment, or some heartache they are trying to cope with or overcome. The last thing they need is for you to make matters worse by responding angrily.”
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
“We are all mistaken sometimes; sometimes we do wrong things, things that have bad consequences. But it does not mean we are evil, or that we cannot be trusted ever afterward.”
“I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.”
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”
“It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on.”
“To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.”
“When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.”
“Can I be forgiven for all I ve done to get here? I want to be. I can. I believe it.”
“The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity. It is one of the great virtues to which we all should aspire. Imagine a world filled with individuals willing both to apologize and to accept an apology. Is there any problem that could not be solved among people who possessed the humility and largeness of spirit and soul to do either -- or both -- when needed?”
“Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family.”
“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.”
“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I d still be in prison.”
“Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.”
“What I cannot love, I overlook.”