What is it About Forgiving that is So Hard?

Forgiveness is actually the easiest thing in the world to do.

Yet why do people struggle to forgive? From years of humanistic thinking and talking which has leavened the lump of God's Word, many people  are convinced that forgiveness has something to do with how we feel and what we thing.

But that fact that so many believers are caught up in what they feel and think regarding forgiveness only underscores that all too many believers are still trying.

Other preachers and teacher have explained forgiveness in terms of consequence or comparison.

One preacher says that we must forgive, or else that bondage will create more problems for us. Revenge and resentment is like swallowing poison so that the other person will die.

Yet not once is forgiveness in the Bible posisted on how we feel and what we want to do. Forgiveness is not about us, anyway! We have nothing to do with the forgiveness  which God so freely gives us through His Son, so we cannot presume to limit or lessen forgiveness for others based on ourselves.

Others contend that we should forgive others since God has so forgiven us.

This is the point shared in Ephesians.

Yet the Bible teaches that God's forgiveness is not just lush, but never-ending (1 JOhn 1: 7)

Why do we hold onto resentments, anyway?

We are convinced that people have gotten away with something.

We are convinced that we have los something.

We believe the falsehood that they who have harmed us are "Getting away with it. . "

We negletc that God's forgiveness entails GRACE -- and that this GRACE blesses us.-- 2 Corinthians 5:21)

The more that we forgive, the more that we let go of the wrongs, the greater the grace that manifests in our lives, for we are then sending the message by our rest that we truth God to take care of all our enemies!

In effect, forgiveness is hard to the degree that we keep telling ourselves that "we have to do something." The more that we trust in His grace, the more that we rest in the truth that He is moving on our behalf, working within us (Philippians 2: 13) and making all things work for our good (Romans 8: 28), then we can rejoice indeed, no matter what happens, trusting that He has taken care fo all things (Hebrews 4: 3).

The more that we see Jesus, the more that we see Him holding everything in place for us, the more that we prize His Majesty in all things, past, present, future, the more that we keep receiving His righteousness and grace, then we rest and release all hurts and fears and resentments, we refuse to be tricked into hurt and hate by the wiles of the Enemy, for he and his principalities are the real enemies in our lives (2 Corinthians 10:4-5), and we find that God will turn even our worst enemies into blessings in our lives!

Hallelujah! Trust Him! Forgiveness is a done deal. Receive more of Him, and all things will be added unto you!