Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Forgiving someone who has wronged you is not always easy, especially when that person intentionally hurts you and continues to do so with no remorse. We’ve all been in situations whether we have been wronged by someone or we were the guilty person who committed wrongdoing. Personally, I’ve been in situations where I’ve been hurt and I hate to admit this, but my initial reaction was not to forgive. Instead, I removed myself from the situation and kept my distance from that particular person. The more I read God’s Word, the more His Holy Spirit convicts me to extend the forgiveness of Christ. I’m commanded in scripture to forgive and not to hold grudges. Now, I must say it doesn’t mean that you have to stay in a toxic or unhealthy relationship with someone. If a person continues to do you wrong and they do so habitually with no remorse, you don’t have to be their emotional punching bag. At some point, you need to find the courage to say, “Enough is enough”. Forgive them yes, but in some instances, you may need to walk away from the relationship. We are called to forgive each other as the Lord says in His Word, but we need to exercise wisdom and discernment in our relationships with people. We need to ask questions such as: “Does this person encourage me in the Lord or do they entice me to sin?”, “Does this person push me towards the cross or do they pull me away from God and His Word?”, “Does this person have my best interest at heart or do they have ulterior motives?”, etc. We need to examine ourselves as well as the relationships we are in.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

We are to forgive as Christ has forgiven each one of us, but in the same breath, it doesn’t mean that we stay in unhealthy relationships with people who continuously commit wrongdoing. In certain cases, you may be married and if so, I encourage you to seek counseling from your local church. Don’t be afraid to do so. They are there to help.

Nevertheless, I encourage you all to forgive. It’s not always easy, but trust the Lord. I’m not trying to minimize your pain. Things happen and sometimes those experiences are extremely painful and even difficult to deal with at times. But God will definitely comfort your heart. He’s the God of all comfort and He will bring healing and refreshment to your spirit. He will also give you His grace and strength to forgive. The majority of the time we want to retaliate, but it’s not our responsibility to be a judge. We are called to forgive. Leave it in the hands of God! He is the Judge and He will right every wrong. Everyone will be held accountable for their actions. Trust the Lord! He will never fail you! Instead, focus your attention on forgiveness, not retaliation.

Colossians 3:13 Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.