One of the most effective ways to learn to forgive is to develop empathy towards those who hurt us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffered.” Bonhoeffer was speaking of those individuals who did not give us what we needed as children (safety, security, affirmation, attention) or who gave us what we didn’t need (abuse or neglect). In either circumstance, when we can start to look at these individuals with different eyes (the eyes and heart of Christ) and understand the reasons
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