To Forgive
Al Denson Lyrics


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I have never been the kind
To let too many get behind
The walls that I have built around my heart
And now I find myself afraid
Feeling like I've been betrayed
By one that I have trusted from the start
But friends are only human
And at times they're gonna fall
But when it hurts the most
Is when they need you most of all

To forgive
Is to reach out to your brother
As one friend to another
No matter what the cost
To forgive
Is to leave the past behind you
And pray tomorrow finds you
Stronger for the journey
As every day we're learning
To forgive

It was another place and time
When I had failed a friend of mine
And there was no one else to take the blame
But when He could've turned away
Somehow He found the strength to stay
His love for me was stronger than the pain
And in light of all His mercy
It's much easier to see
That even from the cross
The Lord was calling you and me

To forgive
Is to reach out to your brother
As one friend to another
No matter what the cost
To forgive
Is to leave the past behind you
And pray tomorrow finds you
Stronger for the journey
As every day we're learning
To forgive

To forgive
Is to reach out to your brother
As one friend to another
No matter what the cost
To forgive
Is to leave the past behind you
And pray tomorrow finds you
Stronger for the journey
As every day we're learning
To forgive

To forgive
Is to reach out to your brother
As one friend to another
No matter what the cost
To forgive
Is to leave the past behind you
And pray tomorrow finds you
Stronger for the journey
As every day we're learning
To forgive





'Cause every day I'm learning
To forgive

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Al Denson's song To Forgive speak about the challenge of letting down one's guard and allowing oneself to be vulnerable with others. The singer admits to being the type of person who walls off his heart, but has now found himself hurt by someone he trusted. The song acknowledges that people are only human and capable of making mistakes, but when someone we care about hurts us, it can be difficult to find forgiveness. However, the act of forgiveness is described as being an essential part of moving forward in relationships. Forgiveness means reaching out to our brothers, leaving the past behind and looking forward to a stronger future.


The lyrics are powerful because they address a universal experience of hurt and betrayal, while also offering a solution that may be challenging but worthwhile. Forgiveness is not easy but it is necessary in order to heal and move forward. The song ends with the repeated line "every day I'm learning to forgive," suggesting that forgiveness is a skill that we can all develop with practice.


Overall, the message of the song is inspiring: to forgive is to let go of anger and resentment in order to reach out to others with love and compassion. By doing so, we can experience the freedom that comes with forgiveness and find deeper connections with those around us.


Line by Line Meaning

I have never been the kind
I have always been cautious about letting people into my life


To let too many get behind
I don't usually let people get too close to me


The walls that I have built around my heart
I have put up emotional barriers to protect myself


And now I find myself afraid
But now I am scared


Feeling like I've been betrayed
Because I feel like someone I trusted has let me down


By one that I have trusted from the start
This person has been close to me from the beginning


But friends are only human
However, it’s important to remember that friends make mistakes


And at times they're gonna fall
Everyone has times where they fail


But when it hurts the most
But it’s especially hard when you are hurt because of them


Is when they need you most of all
That's when they need your support the most


To forgive
Forgiveness means


Is to reach out to your brother
Reaching out to your brother/sister in Christ


As one friend to another
As a friend would do to another friend


No matter what the cost
Regardless of how hard it may be


To forgive
Forgiveness means


Is to leave the past behind you
Leaving what’s happened in the past


And pray tomorrow finds you
Hopin for a better future tomorrow


Stronger for the journey
And coming out of it a stronger person


As every day we're learning
Every day journey offers new lesson to learn from


It was another place and time
There was an instance in my past where


When I had failed a friend of mine
I had let down a friend of mine


And there was no one else to take the blame
And nobody else was responsible for that failure but me


But when He could've turned away
But instead of distancing himself from me, He didn't


Somehow He found the strength to stay
And He managed to find the strength to stick with me


His love for me was stronger than the pain
Because His love for me was more powerful than the pain of what I had done


And in light of all His mercy
And looking back at how merciful He was to me


It's much easier to see
It’s easy to realize


That even from the cross
That even when He was dying on the cross


The Lord was calling you and me
He was still reaching out to us with His love and forgiveness


'Cause every day I'm learning
And every day, I am learning


To forgive
To forgive




Contributed by Connor H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Rob R

This song and "Be the One" are have always been my two favorite form Al Denson! The message is very clear! Thanks! God Bless your ministry! 

Shari England

Mine too. Even over 60, they still make we weep.

Lori Trittschuh

Al Denson's songs have been a blessing to me for many years. His songs show GOD'S love for us.

Caswell Hendricks

Bought his cassette back in the day...his ministry really cemented by faith in Christ

Toluwani Akaehomen

So love this song

syllylou77

A guy who had bullied my son in middle school approached him one day as an adult and apologized. It blew me away. Michael didn't even remember him. But evidently it had bothered this man for years.

Joan Dittmer

I needed this

caras2004

Relevant music and message 2022

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