Forgive? No way!

Before you say, There’s absolutely no way, I urge you to think again. I know it’s difficult. Depending on the circumstances surrounding it, forgiving someone is perhaps the hardest thing for a human to do. There are scads of excuses for not forgiving someone. Maybe you’ve used some of these in your bag of arsenals. You just don’t know what she did to me. Or, I’m not forgiving him because he never asked. Or maybe the person asked, but you thought he or she gave a fake apology. Maybe you say this, I’m not going to forgive her because she keeps doing the same bad things over and over. Or this juicy one that was made into a series a decade ago, I’ll get revenge, and, I’ll make them pay if it’s the last thing I do. Look. I’m not an expert on this subject, but I do know that not forgiving someone hurts you in the long run. Don’t you want to be as emotionally healthy as you can? Don’t you want to be free? When you don’t forgive people, all that stored up resentment and bitterness come together and make a deadly poison inside you (not them) that slowly eats away at your mind and heart. Maybe you’re finally at the place where you’re willing to, at least, contemplate forgiving that person or that organization, but you don’t know how. Remember that forgiveness is not a feeling. If you wait until you feel like forgiving, you’ll probably never do it. It’s a decision. If you’re a Christ-follower, you already know that it’s an act of obedience to forgive. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you.  Decide, pray, and be done with it. Trust me! It’s a gift! Not for the person who harmed you, but for you!