Is Forgiveness Really For You?

It may be easy to forgive someone that hurts us a little and maybe they are not close to us so we find it easier to forgive them of something they have done to us, but when someone hurts us to the core, it can be very hard to forgive. We can think of all the good times we had with a person, or it may even be a family member or someone we really trusted, and that hurt that transpired can be one that can cut to our hearts. But what is forgiveness really? Doesn't God forgive us multiple times and not periodically, but daily? Are we not thankful because He died for the remission of our sins; He paid a debt that we could not pay? It is easy to say that we have been hurt so bad until we cannot forgive what was done; but isn't the real answer is that we do not want to forgive what was done? I have been hurt so bad until it felt like life had stopped. The last thing I wanted to do was forgive but when I really began to develop my relationship with God and to understand what forgiveness is and how it applies to my life, I eventually did forgive. It was nothing that was automatic but I decided to put it in the context that I was not going to let that person keep me out of Heaven.....It is just that serious. Yes they hurt me, yes I wanted to hurt them back, yes I felt ashamed and confused about why I had to forgive them, but the more I learned, the more I wanted to live a life that was pleasing to God and that meant I had to forgive people that hurt me, people that talked about me, scandalized my name, made me feel inferior, abused me, used me, yes and even raped me, allowed me to get molested; you name it and I had to forgive them and not for them but for me. If our entry into Heaven is contingent on us forgiving people that wronged us, what is more important; holding on to it or forgiving it? I will go with the later. How about you? I know some hurts will take time to say we can forgive, and not only say it but mean it in our hearts, but its worth it to clear ourselves of condemnation; even if they never say, "I'm Sorry!" You do what you know to do and let God fight on your behalf; remember, the battle is not ours anyway!