Abdallah Family and i4Give Reveal Four Steps to Forgiveness
by Tara Kennedy
Leila and Danny Abdallah have released their 4 Steps to Forgiveness, a new initiative to help sufferers identify how to forgive those who have hurt them, and what to do next.
The launch by the couple’s i4Give Foundation at the Calyx at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens took place on the annual i4Give Day on 1 February.
It was also the fifth anniversary of the day their children Antony, Angelina, and Sienna Abdallah, together with their niece Veronique Sakr, were hit and killed by a drunk and drug-influenced driver in Oatlands.
In attendance were Kay and Allan Davidson, parents of the jailed driver Samuel Davidson.
Healing
Also in attendance were former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and NSW Premier Chris Minns, who each spoke about the power of forgiveness.
“When you forgive the other person, we start to heal,” Minns said.
“By spreading this message and, more importantly, by lining the way with your example, you’ve helped other people heal.”
Each step begins with an initial of one of the children, which Leila said was an “intentional decision”.
“It’s not a coincidence that four children entered eternal life and that i4Give has the number four in it,” she said.
“From the very beginning, I knew these steps had to reflect them.”
The steps to forgiveness are: acknowledge the hurt and its impact, accept what cannot be changed, surrender the pain to find peace, and voice your forgiveness.
From Pain to Peace
Leila said the first step of acknowledgement was processing the pain without rushing healing, and the second of acceptance was recognising the “new reality”.
“Acceptance does not mean excusing or justifying what happened — it means recognising the past cannot be rewritten,” she said.
She said the third step of surrender was where the “journey of healing begins” and to offer the pain up to God, with the fourth step of voicing forgiveness as being a choice.
“Forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling, it doesn’t always require confronting the other person who hurt you — you can forgive in your heart,” she said.
“Forgiveness is for your peace, not for the other person.”
Leila said the steps were not linear, and any of them could be used as a starting point.
“The first thing I did was step three, I went on my knees, I prayed, and surrendered to God,” she said.
“I had to sit in my faith for a while and then I chose to forgive before even I accepted what happened.”
___
Republished with thanks to The Catholic Weekly. Image courtesy of Adobe.
3 Comments
Leave A Comment
Recent Articles:
31 July 2026
5.9 MINS
It's been 44 years since Keith Green's death in a tragic plane crash, but “his legacy of love for God and love for the lost still lives on to this day.” His uncompromising cross-shaped Christianity is as relevant today as it was over four decades ago.
31 July 2026
5.8 MINS
The Trump administration has cut $67 million of taxpayer funding for controversial “radical leftist sex ed” programs in favour of solid curriculum that emphasises abstinence and marriage.
30 July 2026
4.7 MINS
Tim Kirk isn't just the chief winemaker at Clonakilla, celebrated as one of Australia’s finest wineries. After a dramatic spiritual encounter filled him with the love of Jesus, he incorporates his faith into all of life and is on a mission to share God with others — and often as a result of his profession.
30 July 2026
1.7 MINS
An Australian-made documentary is exposing what few are willing to discuss: babies born alive after abortion — and left to die. The documentary, titled Born Alive Left To Die, is difficult to watch. Yet this 22-minute film sensitively and unflinchingly presents the medical evidence that every Australian needs to know.
30 July 2026
5.1 MINS
"Turn the Tide" is a timely call to the Church in Australia and New Zealand to recover courage, clarity, conviction, and public faithfulness in an age of confusion and compromise. Shelton's book challenges Christians to rediscover the Church's responsibility to protect children, speak truth, and act faithfully in the public square.
30 July 2026
9.5 MINS
The fall of Prince Andrew reveals more than royal excess. It unveils a civilisation in retreat — one where the presumption of innocence crumbles, tribalism festers, and multiculturalism dissolves the moral foundations that once held the West together.
29 July 2026
5.1 MINS
Leaked texts, leaked footage, and a rushed disendorsement meeting — Moira Deeming says the process that ended her Liberal candidacy raises questions the party has yet to answer.
Thank you. Very beautiful and real. I am so sorry for your loss but grateful that God has enabled you to forgive and to express the how of forgiveness in a way that will be helpful to many,
Powerful example of forgiveness setting people free. Leila and Danny, you are so brave. Your testimony will help countless numbers heal as they apply four 4 steps.
This is a very tender and beautiful article and wonderful words of wisdom. True Christianity. It is true that forgiving is for one’s own peace. I have to agree with the previous comments also, from Meryl and Ian. The four steps of healing give real clarity to the healing process. The Abdallahs are a living and powerful testimony of the goodness of God reflected in His children. Thank you.