There’s nothing about forgiveness that implies being a doormat or placing yourself or anyone else in danger. In fact, if that’s a possibility then forgiveness is inappropriate and premature. On the other hand, there’s nothing about forgiveness that requires the other person to request it or admit they were wrong because forgiveness isn’t for them – it’s for the one who forgives. Forgiveness says that I will not attempt to exact the revenge or retribution to which I am entitled. It most definitely does not say that what happened doesn’t matter, or that it was acceptable in any way, shape, or form. When we grant forgiveness prematurely, we aren’t really granting forgiveness and we are only fooling ourselves. Most often a certain amount of healing has to occur before we are ready to grant forgiveness, and only we can know when we are ready. Those who would rush us for any reason are out of line.