SuperLutheran (Avignon Half) on Nostr: Think of it this way. When you don't forgive someone, you hold them to account: they ...

Think of it this way. When you don't forgive someone, you hold them to account: they owe you for whatever it is they did. When you forgive them, you relinquish that and take no responsibility over punishing them. You renounce the possibility of getting vengeance against them - after all, vengeance belongs to God. When we pray "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," that is what we are saying.

Now may this individual still owe a debt to society of they did something illegal? Absolutely. And does forgiving them mean you do something foolish like letting them back into your life? Not at all