The Art of Forgiving was introduced to me a few years ago by a friend who highly recommended it for its sensible practicality and common sense. Its brief, a mere 178 pages long, but contains helpful counsel to those who struggle with the concept of forgiveness. Perhaps the most helpful element of the book is Smedes’ explanation of what forgiveness is not. This would suggest that one of the primary obstacles we have to forgiving those who have wounded us is the false expectation of what forgiving looks like, how it is done, and the aftermath that follows. If you are such a person, I would recommend this simple book. As a way of piquing your interest, I have added below some of the better quotes listed in the book’s postscript.
“The most creative power given to the human spirit is the power to heal the wounds of a past it cannot change.”
“We do our forgiving alone inside our hearts and minds; what happens to the people we forgive depends on them.”
“The first person to benefit from forgiving is the one who does it.”
“Forgiving happens in three stages: We rediscover the humanity of the person who wronged us, we surrender our right to get even, and we wish that person well.”
“We forgive people only for what they do, never for what they are.”
“We forgive people only for wounding and wronging us; we do not forgive people for things we do not blame them for.”
“We cannot forgive a wrong unless we first blame the person who wronged us.”
“Forgiving is a journey; the deeper the wound, the longer the journey.”
“Forgiving does not require us to reunite with the person who broke our trust.”
“We do not forgive because we are supposed to; we forgive when we are ready to be healed.”
“Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.”
“Forgiving is not a way to avoid pain but to heal pain.”
“Forgiving is best done when it is done intolerantly.”
“Forgiving is the only way to be fair to ourselves.”
“Forgivers are not doormats; to forgive a person is not a signal that we are willing to put up with what he does.”
“We do not excuse the person we forgive; we blame the person we forgive.”
“Forgiving is essential; talking about it is optional.”
“When we forgive, we set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner we set free is us.”
“When we forgive we walk in stride with the forgiving God.”
