When Forgiveness Feels Impossible

☕ Coffee on the Rabbit Trail | Off Topic, On Purpose Blog Series

Post 23: “When Forgiveness Feels Impossible”

Forgiveness.
It’s one of those words we all know, all hear, all nod our heads to… but when it comes to actually doing it? Sometimes it feels impossible.

Because what happened wasn’t small.
It wasn’t a bump in the road.
It was deep.
It was personal.
It changed you.

And how do you forgive someone who never said sorry?
How do you let go when the wound still aches?
How do you move forward when the past still feels unfinished?

Here’s what I want you to know:

Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting.
It doesn’t mean saying what happened was okay.
It doesn’t mean the hurt didn’t matter.

Forgiveness is simply this: choosing to stop carrying what was crushing you.

It’s not instant.
It’s not easy.
Sometimes it’s not even a one-time thing — it’s a choice you might have to make again and again.

And if you’re not there yet… that’s okay too.

You’re not weak for struggling with forgiveness.
You’re human.
And humans hurt. Humans remember. Humans wrestle with what they wish they could let go of faster.

But here’s the quiet hope tucked inside forgiveness: it’s less about the one who hurt you, and more about the freedom waiting for you.

So if it feels impossible today, that’s okay.
If you’re still angry, still grieving, still working through it — that’s okay too.
Forgiveness isn’t about pretending. It’s about healing.
And healing takes time.

One day, little by little, you will feel lighter.
You will breathe easier.
You will loosen your grip on the pain.
And when you do, it won’t erase what happened — but it will remind you:
You are not chained to it anymore.

Until then… be gentle with yourself.
Even here, even now, you are moving forward. 💛