Forgiveness Is…

Before forgiveness of others in truly possible, you must own what happened to you. You must acknowledge the losses, feel the feelings.

Forgiveness is not:

Forgiveness is not condoning.
Forgiveness is not absolution. They are still responsible for what they did to us
Forgiveness is not a form of self-sacrifice.
Forgiveness is not never again being angry about the abuse.
To forgive is not a clear cut, one time decision.

Forgiveness is:

Forgiveness is recognizing we no longer need our grudges and resentments, our hatred and self-pity.
Forgiveness is no longer wanting to punish the people who hurt us.
Forgiveness is what happens naturally as a result of confronting past painful experiences and healing old wounds.
Forgiveness is an internal process. It happens within.
With forgiveness, we no longer build an identity around something that happened to us in the past.
Forgiveness is remembering, and letting go.

Credit: Changing Course by Claudia Block