Forgive but not Forget { Link Up }

This Week's Question: 

"What does forgiveness look like? At what point do you realize it's time to forgive and move on if someone takes advantage of you?"

I'm linking up with Kalyn and Lauren for a Coffee & Conversation topic question. I like opening up by posting my thoughts on various topics that stray away from the typical weekend happenings or recipes. Forgiveness is something that I think we learn more and more about with each year of our life. I recently celebrated a birthday and aside from the parties and gifts, the most important aspect of a birthday remembering how much you have grown and thanking the Lord for giving you another year of life! I believe my knowledge on forgiveness will change with each decade of my life. When I was in my teens I was hurt by lack of forgiveness from my friends and I'm sure I hurt them by not asking for their forgiveness. And by my twenties I have really looked back on those instances and realized how much I have grown from them. No one wants to dwell on their past wrong doings or focus on the times when their heart was broken but remembering how they changed you into the person you are today is very crucial. 

So we have to choose. Decide the times when we face the person with new confidence and strength or turn away from that person knowing that they can have a place in your past but not in your future. And I think that by 25 I have learned the difference between those two times. I have learned enough to know what my next decade of forgiveness will look like in my thirties and beyond. But there is one important thing to take away with this new realization! Forgiving does not mean forgetting. Or should I say remembering. There are plenty of times where I have questioned if I have really forgiven that person or event because I keep remembering it or them. The answer to that question is they are two very different things! How can we expect something that impacted our lives and our heart so much to just be lost. The depth of our heart should not be limited to remembering only the times where we were correct or where others have treated us fairly. 

So remember but do not dwell. 

Forgive but don't feel that there is a need to forget. 

Your soul can hold the good and the bad but your future will embrace the AMAZING!

And how have I come to understand forgiveness better? My the one Man who has Forgiven it ALL! That Man who died on the cross for My Sins and Yours. His blood set me free and by knowing He has forgiven All of my sins I don't have to be weighed down by how I have treated others or how they have treated me. And that example of unconditional love and beautiful Grace has allowed me to work harder to become a better person!