Quote

"[Forgiveness] is to deal with our emotions…by denying ourselves the dark pleasures of venting them or fondling them in our minds…Once upon a time, I was engaged to a young woman who changed her mind. I forgave her…but in small sums over a year…done when I spoke to her and refrained from rehashing the past, done whenever I renounced jealousy and self-pity when seeing her with another man, done when I praised her to others when I wanted to slice away at her reputation. Those were the payments—but she never saw them. And her own payments were unseen by me…but I do know that she forgave me…(Forgiveness) is more than a matter of refusing to hate someone. It is also a matter of choosing to demonstrate love and acceptance to the offender…Pain is the consequence of sin; there is no easy way to deal with it. Wood, nails and pain are the currency of forgiveness, the love that heals."

Dan Hamilton, Forgiveness