📖 Excerpted from God Jots: Forgiveness and Healing
The Tape Keeps Playing, Doesn’t It?
You know that moment when you say, “I’ve let it go,” but your brain decides to host a late-night rerun of the event anyway? I’ve been there. Still go there sometimes. The offense happened once, but I’ve replayed it so many times it should probably be billed as a miniseries.
One of the stories submitted for this book goes into this too:
“I sat down and wrote a list of every grudge I was still holding. Some were tiny, like the friend who forgot my birthday. Others ran deep; things that had shaped the way I saw myself. But for each one, I asked myself: Do I want to keep carrying this?”
“Most of them were a ‘no.’ So I started forgiving. Not because anyone asked me to. Not because they all deserved it. But because I was tired of bringing old wounds into new moments.”
Forgiveness didn’t erase what happened, but it stopped letting it follow this person into rooms where it didn’t belong.
Forgiveness And Healing has more shared stories like this too!
When Forgiveness Feels Like Amnesia Failure
There’s this unspoken myth that if you’ve really forgiven someone, you’ll never feel that sting again. But forgiveness isn’t anesthesia. It doesn’t numb you to the past. It just helps you stop living under its weight.
“Forgiveness has the power to heal and restore… By forgiving others and seeking forgiveness ourselves, we pave the way for emotional, spiritual, and even physical healing.”
That healing isn’t a magic switch. It’s a path. One that sometimes retraces its steps. But every time you choose to walk it again, you’re moving forward.
Forgiveness Is A Journey, Not A Jedi Mind Trick
We think if we really forgave someone, the pain should be gone. But it lingers sometimes. That doesn’t mean you failed.
“This is something I’m going to highlight again and again; that forgiveness isn’t a one-sided deal. Forgiveness is for both sides. It’s about setting you and the person who hurt you free.”
“Forgiveness is an everyday thing… If you often find yourself having trouble coming up with what to say or pray to God, or to Jesus, consider starting with forgiveness.”
It’s not about wiping the slate clean in one swoop. It’s a rhythm you learn and relearn.
The Choice You Keep Choosing
You may have to forgive the same person for the same thing a hundred times. That doesn’t mean the first 99 didn’t count. It means you’re healing, layer by layer.
“It’s a lot of work but making the choice to let go and forgive that debt is a choice you are making every day because you have to follow through with it. You have to choose every day to not go back on it. If you can’t do that, then your act of forgiveness doesn’t really mean anything.”
This kind of forgiveness isn’t soft. It’s strong. It shows up even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t feel like it.
Why This Book Might Just Be the Permission Slip You Needed
If you’re someone who’s said “I’m past it,” but keeps circling back emotionally, this chapter is for you. God Jots: Forgiveness and Healing doesn’t tell you to get over it. It walks with you while you’re still under it.
“And on that note, if you often find yourself having trouble coming up with what to say or pray to God, or to Jesus, consider starting with forgiveness… something tells me you already know.”
This book doesn’t ask for your perfection. It invites your persistence.
Because every time you choose forgiveness—even through tears—you choose freedom.
Forgiveness And Healing
Whether you’re seeking forgiveness, offering it, or simply trying to understand what it really means, this book meets you exactly where you are. And walks with you from there.
Drawing from biblical truths, real-life stories, and a little irreverent humor (because let’s be honest, healing is hard enough), this book offers practical steps and heartfelt insights for anyone trying to let go of past hurts.