Have you experienced the withholding of forgiveness?

When truly repentant, the lack of forgiveness is painful. It makes one feel like a human yo-yo … loved one minute and hated the next.

I love you.

I hate you.

When we withhold forgiveness, we might look prettily flowered on the outside, but on the inside, we are an unraveling hazard.

Unlaced.

If we withhold forgiveness, we will flip-flop between love and hate. Without it, we are unable to walk in freedom, continually tripping and hurting ourselves and the ones we truly, deniably love.

Unnecessary tears.

Withholding forgiveness creates prison bars of tear tracks.

If we withhold forgiveness, we aren’t securely fastened, and we’ll forfeit walking in cleanness to drag ourselves and others through dirt and mud continuously and unnecessarily.

Forgiveness is the sweetest bow we could place on the gift of freedom—a gift worth keeping—to offer others and ourselves.