I’ve been thinking about the F-word lately.

And it’s been on my mind so much that I’m beginning to see the need for it all over the place. That’s what happens when you focus. No, that’s not the f-word I mean.

In fact, just the other day, I saw this pop up in my feed:

I think that I understand the sentiment here. Victims of trauma and abuse don’t need another person telling them how they should or should not feel.

I’m thinking about forgiveness in the more everyday, much less severe personal interactions.

It’s totally not my business whether you forgive someone or not. 

But it almost seems like forgiveness has become a dirty word. And the definition of victimhood seems to be ever expanding.

So I’m curious about your experience with forgiveness. Personally, I have found forgiving to be incredibly freeing.

Forgiveness is not for the person who wronged me.

Forgiveness is for me. It softens my heart. It opens me to receive differently. It helps me get to know my own needs better. What about you?

Can you be open to the possibility of forgiveness?

What stops you from forgiving someone else?
What stops you from forgiving yourself?
What do you get from withholding forgiveness?
What would change if you forgive?

And to turn it around a minute, was there ever a time you asked someone else for forgiveness?
What was it like to receive it?
What was it like if they withheld forgiveness from you?

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you approve of the hurtful behavior.

It doesn’t mean that you automatically trust someone again who wounded you.

Forgiving isn’t necessarily forgetting.

What would it take to bring more forgiveness into your relationships?

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