Forgiving What You Can't Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That's Beautiful Again

by Lysa TerKeurst

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

How is it possible to move beyond the pain of a terrible, life-altering event? How can you go on when the person you love most is the cause of your hurt? Author Lysa TerKeurst has faced these questions in her own life, and she shares how her belief in God and the act of forgiveness freed her to live the happier life she ultimately deserved.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

You deserve to stop suffering because of what other people have done to you.

Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind? You know you can't go on like this, but you don't know what to do next. Lysa TerKeurst has wrestled through this journey. But in surprising ways, she’s discovered how to let go of bound-up resentment and overcome the resistance to forgiving people who aren’t willing to make things right.

With deep empathy, therapeutic insight, and rich Bible teaching coming out of more than 1,000 hours of theological study, Lysa will help you:

• Learn how to move on when the other person refuses to change and never says they're sorry.
• Walk through a step-by-step process to free yourself from the hurt of your past and feel less offended today.
• Discover what the Bible really says about forgiveness and the peace that comes from living it out right now.
• Identify what's stealing trust and vulnerability from your relationships so you can believe there is still good ahead.
• Disempower the triggers hijacking your emotions by embracing the two necessary parts of forgiveness.

Look for additional biblically based resources and devotionals from Lysa:

• I Want to Trust You, but I Don't
• Good Boundaries and Goodbyes
• It's Not Supposed to Be This Way
• Uninvited
• You're Going to Make It
• Embraced
• Seeing Beautiful Again

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718039875
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	11/17/2020
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,486
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Lysa TerKeurst is president and chief visionary officer of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including I Want to Trust You, But I Don't, Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, Forgiving What You Can't Forget, and It's Not Supposed to Be This Way. She enjoys life with her husband Chaz and her kids and grandkids. Connect with her at www.LysaTerKeurst.com or on social media @LysaTerKeurst.

Table of Contents

Introduction: I Still Cry Over What Happened xiii

Chapter 1 Forgiveness, the Double-Edged Word 1

Chapter 2 Welcome to the Table 13

Chapter 3 Is This Even Survivable? 25

Chapter 4 How Is Forgiveness Even Possible When I Feel Like This? 35

Chapter 5 Collecting the Dots 55

Chapter 6 Connecting the Dots 71

Chapter 7 Correcting the Dots 89

Chapter 8 Unchangeable Feels Unforgivable 105

Chapter 9 Boundaries That Help Us Stop Dancing with Dysfunction 119

Chapter 10 Because They Thought God Would Save Them 139

Chapter 11 Forgiving God 155

Chapter 12 The Part That Loss Plays 171

Chapter 13 Bitterness Is a Bad Deal That Makes Big Promises 187

Chapter 14 Living the Practice of Forgiveness Every Day 205

The Beauty of Forgiving 222

A Journey Through What the Bible Actually Says About Forgiveness 224

Lysa's Most Asked Questions on Forgiveness 242

Getting the Help You Need 248

Some Important Notes to Consider on Abuse 249

Acknowledgments 252

Notes 256

About the Author 259

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/07/2020

Bestseller TerKeurst (It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way), president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, again plumbs the depths of her heartbreak to help readers through the difficulties of forgiveness in this excellent, revealing rumination. “Forgiveness is God’s divine mercy for human hearts that are so prone to turn hurt into hate,” she writes before referring to betrayals that hurt her, particularly her husband’s affair, and the emotional struggles related to forgiveness, such as bitterness and resentment, that kept her “tortured and, even worse, unable to move forward.” Her advice involves “collecting the dots” (knowing one’s story), “connecting the dots” (understanding the past and how it influences the present), and “correcting the dots” (changing perceptions to see things differently). Throughout, TerKeurst reminds readers that “the goal with forgiveness isn’t perfection—it’s progress” and that none of it is possible without Jesus: “I am forgiven. Therefore, I must forgive.” An appendix of relevant scripture verses and an assortment of downloadable resources available through the book’s companion website round things out. TerKeurst’s fans will love this stirring, realistic look at confronting the arduous aspects of forgiveness. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly