Forgiveness: An Act and a Process
Think of the forgiveness process like making a purchase with a credit card. Imagine that you go to a jewelry counter, choose a beautiful diamond bracelet and slap down the plastic. You sign your name on the receipt, and the bracelet is yours. This illustrates the willful act of forgiveness.
Then comes the monthly payments. Because you bought an expensive bracelet, you have to pay month to month over a long period. So you are both the individual who bought the jewelry and the person who continues to pay.
In the same way, forgiveness is both an act and process. You make a choice at a specific moment of time and the deal is sealed and done. But you choose over time to continune to extend the forgiveness. you make the installments required by your initial decision to forgive.
