When the World Leaves You Behind

People love to say, "Just forgive and forget." But what if I told you that's one of the biggest lies ever told? Not every apology is genuine. Not every apology deserves forgiveness.

Sometimes, people say sorry just to ease their own guilt, not because they actually regret what they did. Sometimes, they apologize because they want to be seen as a good person, not because they actually care about how they hurt you. And sometimes, they don't even apologize at all, but people still expect you to forgive them anyway.

Forgiveness isn't something you owe to people. You don't have to forgive someone who broke you and never even tried to fix it. You don't have to forgive someone who only came back because they needed something from you. You don't have to forgive someone who never showed any real change.

That doesn't mean you should walk around with hate in your heart. No, because carrying anger weighs you down. But you can move on without forgiving. You can heal without giving someone a free pass.

Some people will tell you that forgiving is for yourself, not for them. And sometimes that's true. But some wounds are too deep to just slap a "forgiveness" sticker on and pretend they never happened. Some people don't deserve access to you again.

So, if you ever feel guilty for not forgiving someone, remind yourself: you're not required to let everyone back in. Some people are meant to stay outside the door.