Forgiveness comes with forgetting.
Apparently forgiveness is easy to misunderstand. Even Peter couldn’t get his head around it at first. He asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Mat (18:21-22)
Peter assumed that you were allowed to be fed up with someone who kept sinning against you. At some point you could just say, enough. I don’t have to keep forgiving this person. Jesus said, no. You need to forgive every single time, regardless of how often it happens.
Forgiveness means that you do not blame someone for something they did, and then you must forget about it. It’s not forgiveness if you continue to blame the person later on. Forgiving means that they are free from obligation. They may need to deal with the consequences of what they did, but you have freed them from personal blame.
Forgiveness is sincere and has no memory. It comes from a heart of love. It is a kingdom attitude to put others first, even if, by some accounts, they don’t deserve it. It is an act of humility to lay down your right to justified resentment. It is a gift.
Another post on forgiveness: How To Forgive