Who makes you mad?  Who do you find hard to forgive?  Who would you consider to be your enemy?

You know (as well as I do) that there are plenty of people who “do you wrong.”  It is hard to smile when you are around them.  It is hard to listen when others praise them.  It seems impossible to forgive them.  And it makes no sense to us when we read what Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-44: “You have heard that is was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

How can we do that?  How can you forgive when you have been badly hurt?

Jesus said that this was not negotiable, and then He finished by saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Oh, my.  What do we do?

There is not even one of us that is perfect.  We have all messed up, and we have messed up a lot.

I do not claim to have mastered this.  However, I do know that if God wants us to do something, and if we are willing to give Him control, He will do it.  In fact, Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Let’s think about this.  Holding a grudge or holding bitterness inside eats at you.  You constantly deal with resentment and negative feelings.  Therefore, we know that not forgiving hurts you – and, honestly, the person that you have trouble forgiving probably does not know or care that you are hurt.  You lose.  They do not.

Even though it is hard (and may seem impossible), forgiving is the only smart thing to do.

Jesus knows that we are not perfect and that we struggle to not give in to sin, so it is clear that Jesus knows that His command must mean more.  Thanks to His forgiveness (if He is your Lord and Savior), you can stand clean before God, but the struggle here is real.  That means that we must strive every day (and perhaps every hour) to not allow our resentment to take root.  We must ask God to help us forgive.  We must ask God to help us move forward.

I believe that you do not want to be weighted down by unforgiveness.  I know that you cannot overcome it on your own, so it is time to start trust God, asking for His help, and allowing Him to move you forward.  Strive for perfection and let God do the rest.

Lysa TerKeurst knows about this firsthand. Check out her book by clicking the picture below…