Forgiving someone doesn’t require you to have the same relationship with them after they’ve hurt you.
You can still forgive, but choose to move on.
God is always the ultimate example.
He offers forgiveness to everyone.
He forgives, though we don’t deserve it.
He forgives before we realize we need to be forgiven.
But not everyone He offers forgiveness to has a relationship with Him.
Before you have a personal relationship with Jesus, you must repent.
The definition of repent is, “to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin.”
It’s only after you acknowledge you are a sinner, and ask for forgiveness that you begin your personal relationship with Christ.
In the same way, your relationship with someone after they’ve hurt you will depend on their acknowledgment that they have done wrong.
God tells us to forgive others.
Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
We can forgive, but if that person refuses to acknowledge they hurt you, the relationship will not be restored.
Forgiveness is not dependent on if the person who hurts you is sorry.
Forgiveness is a demonstration of our willingness to be like Christ.
Romans 12:18 tells us, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
We can be kind. We can live in peace. But we don’t have to put ourselves in situations to continue to get hurt.
We can also examine our broken relationships.
Have we hurt someone and not asked for forgiveness?
If we want real, lasting relationships built on trust, we must start with acknowledging what we’ve done and apologize.
God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5
