When Forgiveness Feels Impossible

“Father, forgive them.” Luke 23:34 Forgiveness is impossible. Not difficult. Not a long process. Not something you “work on.” Impossible. When someone has betrayed you, abandoned you, humiliated you, abused you, or wounded you so deeply that the wound feels open, you cannot forgive them from the heart. You can say the words. You can pray the prayer. You can tell people you’ve moved on. But the wound is too deep. Too raw. Too unforgettable. Even to say “I forgive you” feels insurmountable. To actually forgive is unimaginable. And here’s the truth: Unforgiveness is a stronghold. It locks the heart. It blocks freedom. It keeps the wound alive. It keeps the enemy close. I’ve sat with people in deliverance. I’ve watched chains fall. I’ve watched strongholds break. And the first step is always the same: Identify every person who has wronged you. Because without forgiveness, freedom cannot come. And when someone says, “I can’t forgive myself,” I ask: “So in the hierarchy of judges, you’re on the Supreme Court, and God is a district judge? You’re saying that while God has forgiven you, you overrule Him?” And something shifts. A paradigm breaks. A heart opens. Because forgiveness is not something we produce. Forgiveness is something Christ produces in us. And you may not know this about Jesus He forgives in ways we never would, so He can forgive through us in ways we never could- because we share His life, we share His Spirit, we share His Father. “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” - Galatians 2:20 Over the next three months, we’re going to explore everything Jesus taught and modeled about forgiveness. I believe it’s why the Father sent Him. It’s at the heart of His words and deeds. It is the essence of who Jesus is. And only as we walk with Him daily will His life in us produce forgiveness- the kind of forgiveness that flows from His person, His compassion, His mercy, His Spirit, His heart. His person in us. His life through us. His forgiveness becoming ours.