Forgiving seems counterintuitive. What does forgiveness do for me? Forgiveness uproots the offense that can give rise to bitterness, resentment, and hatred if left untended.

Forgiveness is the determination to live life differently than you have been under the offense perpetrated against you.

Forgiveness establishes a protective boundary around your soul and eliminates the foothold your enemy seeks to use in assaulting your life.

Choosing to forgive—for your own sake—is a decision to model your response to the ungraciousness foisted against you after your Heavenly Father’s response to the offenses He recounts.

If we hang on to the offense brought against us, whether for revenge, hatred, or as our just due, we join the offenders in our lives and assist them in bringing destruction to our world. Choosing not to forgive is a self-destructive decision.

Forgiveness is a gift God gave to Himself—for His own good—modeled for us, and granted to us. It is an act of self-care, freeing us from the ongoing tyranny of the offense thrust upon us.

Forgiveness does not absolve our offenders. Rather, it leaves them in position to suffer the response of our anger given to them as well as the consequences of their actions.

Choosing to forgive moves you forward. Beyond the offense. Past your offender. Into freedom.

I’m ready to forgive!