“Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive].”
Colossians 3:13 Amplified Bible
Hebrews 12:13 in the Message Bible says, “Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.” Harboring a hurt steals most of the joy from your life. It robs you of a great deal of peace. It buries your ability to be patient with others. It turns your kindness into something prejudiced and selective. It stains all that goodness in you. It has been said,“Unforgiveness warps your mind into thinking you are a self-controlled person, when in reality you are out of control. Keeping score just brings you more pain and causes a whole lot of pain for others.”It was said by David Smith in an article called “Love Doesn’t Keep Score,” “Such a spirit is fit only for a cross and a cross is precisely what God did with it. If anyone has a right to resent and not forgive, it is God. He is misunderstood, denied, misquoted and defied and has been since the fall.” I love what Joel Osteen says about forgiveness, “If you feel ‘stuck’ today, you may want to examine what you’re holding on to. Be willing to let go of past disappointments by choosing forgiveness. Who hurt you? Who wronged you? Release it to God. Do you need to forgive yourself? Do you need to receive God’s forgiveness? Let go of the past so you can overcome disappointments and experience the bright future God has in store for you! There is freedom in forgetting!”