Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Forgiving What You Can't Forget summary
Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again
25 mins
Brief summary
Forgiving What You Can't Forget by Lysa TerKeurst is a guide to help readers heal from pain, trauma and betrayal by offering practical steps to navigate the path towards forgiveness.
Table of Contents
Forgiving What You Can't Forget
Summary of 8 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 8
In order to heal, you must first forgive.
Have you ever felt so heartbroken that you thought you would never heal?
This is how the author felt when she found out that her husband, Art, had been cheating on her.
For weeks and months after she found this out, she couldn’t help wishing she could be put under anesthetic – like a patient awaiting surgery in hospital. That way, she wouldn’t have to deal with the heartbreak and shock that had affected her life and the lives of her children.
However, after some time had passed, the author realized that holding on to her pain wasn’t getting her anywhere. To recover from the trauma, she had to learn how to forgive the man who had wronged her.
The key message here is: In order to heal, you must first forgive.
When the author was in the depths of despair, forgiveness seemed like the hardest thing to do. She thought that learning to forgive would be like fighting an everlasting battle on her own. But after a while, she realized that God would be there to help.
In the Bible, Ephesians 4:7 says that Jesus allows grace to flow freely through us – to help us learn how to forgive one another. The author interpreted the passage to mean this: our ability to forgive isn’t dependent on our own will, but on our ability to cooperate with the Lord.
As human beings, we find forgiveness tough. When people wrong us, our first reaction isn’t to bless them or offer them consolation. Instead, we sometimes use our hurt as an excuse to hurt them back.
God knew that humans couldn’t learn to forgive people all on their own. That’s why He made a way for us to forgive other people that wasn’t dependent on our own strength. When we’re hurting – and all we want to do is run and hide – God takes the wheel. He forgives the wrongs that we would never be strong enough to make right.
So forgiveness isn’t always about doing something for a human relationship. It’s about being obedient to what God has instructed us to do. When we cooperate most fully with God’s work of forgiveness, we give up the desire to make others suffer for what they’ve done – and in return, we get the freedom to move on.
So if you’re feeling like there’s no way out of your misery, take God’s hand. As the words of forgiveness are released from your lips, you’ll begin to walk the path to healing.
Want to see all full key ideas from Forgiving What You Can't Forget?
Key ideas in Forgiving What You Can't Forget
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Forgiving What You Can't Forget about?
Forgiving What You Can’t Forget (2020) is a guide to healing from past hurt. Drawing from her experiences of abuse in her childhood and infidelity in her marriage, author Lysa TerKeurst offers up ways to make peace with painful memories through forgiveness.
Forgiving What You Can't Forget Review
Forgiving What You Can't Forget (2020) by Lysa TerKeurst is a powerful exploration of the healing journey from pain and betrayal to forgiveness and freedom. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers practical steps and deep insights into the process of forgiveness, allowing readers to find healing and liberation from past hurts.
- The book combines personal stories with biblical principles, providing a relatable and faith-centered approach to forgiveness that resonates with readers.
- With its engaging narrative and relatable examples, the book ensures that the topic of forgiveness is never dull, keeping readers captivated from start to finish.
Best quote from Forgiving What You Can't Forget
Pain projects, hurt haunts, seething never sits still.
—Lysa TerKeurst
Who should read Forgiving What You Can't Forget?
- Anyone suffering from a broken heart
- Christians seeking to feel closer to God
- Those wanting to reframe their suffering as something positive
Categories with Forgiving What You Can't Forget
Book summaries like Forgiving What You Can't Forget
Made You Look
Carmen Simon
How to Use Brain Science to Attract Attention and Persuade Others
13 min
4.0
Words on the Move
John McWhorter
Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like, Literally)
21 min
4.5
Deeper Dating
Ken Page
How to Drop the Games of Seduction and Discover the Power of Intimacy
18 min
4.3
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
33 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Forgiving What You Can't Forget FAQs
What is the main message of Forgiving What You Can't Forget?
The main message of Forgiving What You Can't Forget is the power of forgiveness to heal and move forward.
How long does it take to read Forgiving What You Can't Forget?
The reading time for Forgiving What You Can't Forget varies, but it typically takes a few hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Forgiving What You Can't Forget a good book? Is it worth reading?
Forgiving What You Can't Forget offers valuable insights and practical guidance, making it a worthwhile read for anyone looking for healing and growth.
Who is the author of Forgiving What You Can't Forget?
Lysa TerKeurst is the author of Forgiving What You Can't Forget.
What to read after Forgiving What You Can't Forget?
If you're wondering what to read next after Forgiving What You Can't Forget, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
- The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis
- How to Do the Work by Nicole LePera
- The Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu & Mpho Tutu
- Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Widen the Window by Elizabeth A. Stanley
- How to Be the Love You Seek by Nicole LePera
- I’m Ok, You’re Ok by Thomas A. Harris
- Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche