Forgiveness Beyond the ‘Unrehabilitatable’

​Welcome back to God’Sip and Tea. Today, we are pouring out a truth that is as heavy as it is healing.

​If you have ever walked through a fire that should have consumed you, you know that forgiveness isn’t just a “polite” suggestion. When you have survived abandonment, the kidnapping of your children by the state, the trauma of being weaponized in mental health wards, or the violation of your body, forgiveness is a supernatural miracle.

​In our walk with one another, we have to recognize two distinct levels of forgiveness that we offer our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

​The Two Faces of Forgiveness

​1. The Human Shield: Forgiveness Without Forgetting

This is a decision of the will. It is the choice to release a person from the “debt” they owe you so that resentment doesn’t rot your heart. You release the anger, but you keep the memory as a boundary.

• ​In daily life: This looks like forgiving a friend who consistently lies about money. You don’t hold a grudge, but you no longer co-sign a loan for them. You have released the bitterness, but you are walking in wisdom.

​2. The Divine Pattern: The 360-Degree Restoration

This is the “reborn” forgiveness, the kind we offer when we allow the Spirit to work through us. It follows the pattern of Hebrews 10:17: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” This isn’t about having a bad memory; it is a theological decree. It is the divine choice to never again use that past offense against that person.

• ​In daily life: This is the miracle of a family reunited after years of silence. It is the moment you look at the person who caused “serious damage” and you no longer see a “debtor,” but a brother or sister. The relationship is rebuilt on new ground.

​The Bridge of Humility

​To forgive the way I have had to, to forgive the “unforgivable”, requires profound humility. Humility is the bridge between your pain and your peace. It takes a humble heart to step down from the judge’s seat and stop counting the “damage to the flesh.” Without humility, we stay stuck in our “right” to be angry. With it, we get “self” out of the way so Christ can complete the restoration in our hearts.

​The Mirror of Projection

​Have you ever approached someone with a biblical reproach, seeking to address a wrong so you can move forward, only to have them tell you that you are the one being unforgiving?

​Theology tells us that Reproach is for the purpose of restoration (Galatians 6:1). However, when people aren’t ready to face their own actions, they project their own internal unforgiveness onto you. They mistake your clarity for anger and your boundaries for bitterness. They cannot fathom a heart that has forgiven rapists, abusers, and family betrayals, so they try to label you with the very brokenness you have already overcome.

​Biblical Examples of the 360 Turn

• ​Joseph (Genesis 50:20): Joseph suffered kidnapping and abandonment by his own flesh and blood. When he confronted them, they feared he was bitter. But Joseph had reached a 360-degree restoration, saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” He didn’t just “deal” with them; he nourished them and moved them into his own home.
• ​The Prodigal Son’s Father (Luke 15): The father didn’t just “forgive” the son from a distance. He ran to him and threw a feast, treating the son as if the inheritance had never been wasted. This is the “forgetting” forgiveness that restores honor.
• ​The Miracle of Christ: Christ did not just “tolerate” us; He restored our position as heirs. On the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them,” offering restoration while the damage to His flesh was still fresh.

​The Bottom Line

​To move from being “cut off” by human hands to being fully “brought in” by the Spirit is the ultimate victory. If people are projecting their issues onto you today, remember: Your restoration is between you and the Father.

​The same Grace that held a runaway on the streets and a mother through the loss of her children is the same Grace that allows us to stand firm today. Don’t let someone else’s projection dim the light of your transformation.

​A Prayer for the Misunderstood Heart

​Father, I come to You today for the heart that feels the weight of being misunderstood. For the one who has done the heavy work of forgiveness, who has released the abusers and the liars, only to be told they are “unforgiving” by those who still hold onto their own shadows.

​Lord, give them the peace that surpasses understanding. Strengthen their heart to stay humble but unshakeable. Help them remember they don’t have to prove their restoration to anyone but You. Heal the places where the “serious damage” still tries to speak, and let them walk in the 360-degree restoration that only You can provide. Amen.

​Blessings and Restoration,

God’Sip and Tea