There is no hope of loving people who are hard to love—in fact, no hope of loving anyone at all—unless we are willing to forgive and let go of their offenses. No one on this earth can have a relationship and never disappoint, hurt, or offend another. If you are hoping for this type of relationship, you will be looking for it all your life and not find it. Simply put, people are not perfect. If we were, we wouldn’t need Jesus. He forgives us countless times, possibly every day, and we should appreciate what He does for us enough to do the same for other people. It is interesting that we want and even expect God to do for us what we are not willing to do for others.

In actuality, when we forgive people, we are doing ourselves—not the other person—a favor. So, do yourself a favor and forgive. Let go of offenses and the pain that accompanies them instead of carrying heavy burdens of unforgiveness that make you miserable. [...]

We can, of course, choose not to obey in the area of forgiveness, but we pay a price for doing so. We hurt ourselves more than we hurt other people by refusing to forgive. Refusing to forgive is like taking poison and hoping our enemy will die. We may spend years being angry with someone who doesn’t know or care that we are angry. They are living their life and enjoying it, while we are miserable and bitter.