Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (Rom.12:14)
There are those who find forgiveness extremely difficult. When you or someone that you love suffers as a result of someone else's behavior, you tend to harbor hatred in your heart towards the person responsible instead of granting complete forgiveness.
True forgiveness requires complete purification. You cannot pretend to forgive while still holding a grudge against the person concerned. Forgiveness demands that the slate be wiped clean so that you can start over without any anger in your heart.
This is humanly impossible, but with God the impossible becomes possible.
The first step on the road to forgiveness is prayer. If someone wronged you or someone you love, you must pray for the wrongdoer. Ask God to bless that person and to give you the grace to do so.
Pray that His love will take away the bitterness so that the healing balm of His peace may flow through your being. Once this has happened, you will find that the obstacle of bitterness has been removed, and the love of God enable you to grant unconditional forgiveness.
The love of Jesus Christ has achieved victory over evil in its most barbaric forms. Why you should you not allow this same love to cure you from your bitterness?
"He who cannot forgive others destroys the bridge over which he himself has to walk; every person has a need for forgiveness". -Thomas Fuller
