Forgiveness may not be second nature. It will come with practice and some cool tips. If you’re ready to let go and move on from blame to freedom, there are tips that will make the journey easier. Being able to share the impact that the situation has had on you and ask questions that bring closure and clarity is very healing. Finally, finding compassion for others – through realizing your humanness – will humble you and make offering forgiveness easier than you may think.  

Follow these three tips to effectively offer forgiveness.

  Tip #1. Share the impact. A key component of forgiveness is sharing the impact that the situation has had on you. Holding the innermost feelings you have inside isn’t healing. Sharing the truth about how the situation impacts you is key to letting go and being able to move on. You have the right to share how you feel but do your best to use language that isn’t cruel or shaming. Being able to state your feelings maturely will go miles towards restoration and offering grace in a difficult time. Sometimes hearing the impact that actions have had while withholding blame and judgment can allow for someone to truly change from the inside out.   Tip #2. Ask questions. After you share your thoughts and forgiveness is on the table, ask any questions that come to mind. Sometimes being able to clarify can add to the healing. Many a misunderstanding has been resolved when details are shared. Sometimes relationships can grow deeper and more connected after conversations explore deeper into what happened, and forgiveness comes.   Tip #3. Find compassion. Compassion is the common ground that allows forgiveness to grow in difficult soil. One of the easiest ways to find compassion is to think of a time when you needed forgiveness as well. Recalling times when we messed up or blundered can make offering forgiveness easier. Depending on how deep the cut is, leaning on our humanness can make offering forgiveness easier.   If forgiving and forgetting are new to you, then you will benefit from these practical tips to effectively offer forgiveness, but what happens when you can’t get the resolutions suggested in these tips? Perhaps someone has died, and you can’t share the impact or ask questions. Maybe the relationship isn’t healthy enough or safe enough for you to have a conversation. You can still go through the motions. Try meeting with a counselor or trusted friend and role-play the situation.   Offering forgiveness may be new for you, but it is possible – even in the worst of situations. These helpful tips will make it easier to start the process and get the closure you deserve.   John Furtick on Forgiveness https://youtu.be/sHoapBtEobM   Practicing Forgiveness in Everyday Life http://www.cherylspeaks.org/2022/09/01/practicing-the-a…in-everyday-life/