JESUS AND FORGIVENESS — PLEASE READ SLOWLY

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things a human heart is asked to do.

Not because we don’t understand it.
But because we remember.

We remember the words that hurt.
We remember the betrayal.
We remember how someone walked away when we needed them most.
We remember the injustice, the silence, the disappointment.

And sometimes, the hardest person to forgive…
is ourselves.

We replay our mistakes.
The wrong choices.
The moments we wish we could undo.
The things we said.
The things we didn’t say.

And quietly, deep inside, a thought forms:

“If people knew my past… would I still be loved?”

This is where Jesus enters the story.

Jesus never minimized pain.
He never told people to pretend it didn’t hurt.
But He showed something the world rarely understands:

Forgiveness is not denial.
Forgiveness is freedom.

Jesus spent His life surrounded by broken people.
Not perfect ones.
Not clean stories.
Not easy lives.

He sat with sinners.
He touched the rejected.
He defended the ashamed.
He forgave the unforgivable.

And He did it without conditions.

Jesus never said,
“Fix yourself first, then come to Me.”

He said:
“Come as you are.”

Forgiveness, in the eyes of Jesus, is not about excusing what was done.
It is about releasing the weight that keeps you chained to the past.

Holding onto unforgiveness feels like protection.
But over time, it becomes a prison.

It keeps wounds open.
It keeps peace away.
It keeps the heart tired.

Jesus knows this.

That’s why He didn’t just teach forgiveness —
He lived it.

Even while being mocked.
Even while being beaten.
Even while being nailed to a cross.

He chose forgiveness.

Not because the pain was small.
But because love was greater.

And here is the part many people forget:

Jesus’ forgiveness is not only for others.
It is also for you.

For your past.
For your regrets.
For the choices you wish you could erase.

You are not too far gone.
You are not too broken.
You are not too stained for grace.

Jesus does not look at you with disappointment.
He looks at you with mercy.

Forgiveness does not mean the pain disappears instantly.
It means the healing can finally begin.

It means peace has a chance to enter.
It means the past no longer defines the future.

If you are holding anger today…
If you are carrying guilt…
If you are struggling to forgive someone — or yourself…

Bring it to Jesus.

He is patient.
He is gentle.
He does not rush the healing.

Forgiveness is not weakness.
It is strength guided by love.

And Jesus never asks you to do it alone.

You are seen.
You are forgiven.
You are still loved. ✝️