Gretchen Lawson: I have a lot of people who come into my office who talk about having things done to them that are unforgivable. They can't imagine forgiving someone who has hurt them so greatly, and I would tell them that that's normal. You're in a lot of pain. Especially in the beginning process of forgiveness, it can feel like, "I can't do this." I would encourage you, take time. Be gracious with yourself. Allow for the process of forgiveness. It's not a onetime thing. It's not a quick thing.
Gretchen Lawson: It will take time to process through what needs to be forgiven and to move to a place where you feel confident and strong enough to make the choice to forgive. There are a lot of emotional benefits to forgiveness. Forgiveness is really about you, not the offender, not the person that has hurt you. When we choose to forgive, we can see benefits in our health. We can see toxic emotions leave our thinking and our feelings. We can pursue healthy relationships.
For more answers to your questions on forgiveness, watch these videos:
How do I forgive if they haven’t said I’m sorry?
How would you define forgiveness?
What are the steps to forgiveness?
Need someone to talk to about forgiveness? TheHopeLine offers free confidential live chat with a HopeCoach to help you with forgiving someone. We are here to listen and support you without judgment.
