Forgiveness is hard, but we shouldn’t be forgiving just because of the benefits to ourselves alone. It is said, “forgiveness is not for the other person, but for you.” Then Jesus on the cross crying out, “forgive them father for they know not what they doing,” Luke 23:34. This wasn’t about him, being a followers of Jesus we must then attain an unconditional sacrificial love and forgiveness for others. God is asking us to forgive, because forgiveness from our heart is healing to our souls and the world we live in.

No one’s asking you to befriend someone who has truly hurt you through to core of your soul. Just pray to God with all your heart and soul to please remove the hurt and pain, and help you to forgive. I do know what it feels like to be so hurt, bitter, angry, disappointed and rather go to hell, if that’s what it takes than to forgive those I believed in my spirit wasn’t not worthy. But God! For the love of my Father God and his love and grace for me, I found it in my heart to forgive. But just because I forgive, and I can see you say, “Hello” and not try to avoid you, even let you go ahead of me in the long line, hold the door open for you to go through. It doesn’t mean we will ever pick up where we left off in our relationship.

Forgiveness can be frightening because you feel the person you forgive can take your forgiveness for granted or you can also be fearful that you forgive and then the person does the same thing again. Like putting your hands in fire, knowing fire burns. “You wouldn’t continue to put your hands in the fire knowing it’s going to burn every time.” But when it is in your nature to be loving, kind, forgiving and non judgemental regardless of how you may be treated, you are truly a gift from God to infiltrate the cruelty of the negative forces in world like Jesus.