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Have you ever felt that someone’s hurt you too much for you to ever forgive them? Yes, no, maybe? When Jesus was nailed to the cross, do you think he called out for revenge on his captors?No, instead he said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23 v 34).

Jesus forgave, therefore, as Christians who try to live a christ-like life, we also have a responsibility to forgive others. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." In other words, we have been forgiven by God and we are called to forgive others in the same way that He did. Mark 11 v 25 says: “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." This verse tells us that to be forgiven by God, we must first forgive others. God asks us to forgive others, not because he wants to make things difficult or hard for us, but because unforgiveness and the Holy Spirit cannot live in the same person. 

From a human point of view, it can be incredibly difficult to forgive those that cause us pain, whether it was intentional or not. We have been hurt, and in our minds we justify our hurt and anger. We can leave it to grow in our hearts and as a result, end up walking further away from God. If God can forgive the worst of sins, then surely we can forgive those that hurt us?

Is there someone in your life who you need to forgive? Maybe it's someone who hit you or broke your favourite thing. Maybe it's that one-time friend who stabbed you in the back. Whoever it may be, God commands us to forgive them. As hard as that might sound, He leaves us no options. He asks us to do this so that we can live a life free from the pain and hurt that unforgiveness brings and because unforgivenesshas no place in being were the Holy Spirit resides. As christians we try to live like Jesus, but to not forgive someone would be walking away from that path. Jesus never tried to get his own backon people and neither should we.

Forgiveness is not a feeling, but a choice you make. Although he was free from sin and brutally murdered, Jesus chose to forgive us. He chose to forgive us, and so we must choose to forgive others. The bible says in Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” It can be hard to forgive, but it is something we all need to do.