By I used to think forgiveness was something I had to force.
Like gritting my teeth and pushing through pain to do the “right” thing.
But what if it’s not something you force… but something you release?
That’s what I discovered when I read Ephesians 4:24: “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Just a few verses later, Paul says, “Forgive one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
That hit me: forgiveness isn’t something I have to manufacture. It’s already in me. It’s part of who I am now.
The problem isn’t that I don’t want to forgive. It’s that my mind and emotions sometimes get in the way of what my spirit already wants to do.
That realization changed everything.
I stopped trying to “feel” like forgiving. I stopped waiting for the pain to go away first. And I started trusting that the Spirit in me—the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead—was strong enough to help me do what I couldn’t do on my own.
Forgiveness isn’t about pretending it didn’t hurt. It’s not forcing a feeling. The secret? It’s begins with remembering who you are.
Forgiven. Loved. Free.
And when you do, you’ll find that forgiveness flows, not from pressure, but from peace.
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Need more helping forgiving? I go deeper into this in my Good News & Good Advice series. It’s packed with biblical encouragement and practical tools to help you forgive, heal and move forward. Get the full series today for your donation of any amount.