Forgive and Forget, Healing Thoughts

You can forgive someone almost anything. But you cannot tolerate everything…We don’t have to tolerate what people do just because we forgive them for doing it. Forgiving heals us personally. To tolerate everything only hurts us all in the long run.
– Lewis B. Smedes

It is not “forgive and forget” as if nothing wrong had ever happened, but “forgive and go forward,” building on mistakes of the past and the energy generated by reconciliation to create a new future.
– Alan Paton

Achieving a state of grace, peace and well-being after being injured is the primary goal. Certainly, when harm results from a pure, innocent accident, forgiving whoever caused the problem may help, as acts of generosity and understanding. When hurt by willful negligence and reckless disregard, outrage and anger may the healthiest response, eventually leading to grace and peace. As for those who deliberately and repeatedly injure, those on the receiving end must first take protective, preventive steps, then learn and grow from the experiences while moving on.  Forgiving those who have mistreated, misused and abused can be inappropriate and become irrelevant.
– Source Unknown

Ruminating about the past will get you nowhere. So go ahead and learn from the past whatever you can, and then put it behind you. Remember, there is nothing you can do to change it, but you can use its lessons to improve your future.
— Abraham J. Twerski

Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory.
– Lewis B. Smedes

Learn from yesterday, live for today.
– Albert Einstein