How to Forgive

"For if you forgive people their  trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them  go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless  and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment],  neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15,  AMP

I was treated rudely today by someone  that I come into contact on a regular basis. This person reacted to something  that I said in a rude and condescending way that caused me to feel belittled  and insulted.

I was upset for approximately one  and a half hours, which means that I was not enjoying my life and my day  during that amount of time. I am tempted to say that it was a waste of  time, but this would not be true. This was not a waste of time because  I grew a little today; I learned about the importance of forgiving others  quickly and how to do it. This will help me in future instances where forgiveness  is needed.

Being angry at that person was  not productive, it did not help me in any way. I was consumed thinking  about myself and how the comment was inappropriate and wrong. It was not  until the Lord led me to start praying bout the situation and change my  focus from myself to Him, that progress could be made. The Lord lead me  to think about forgiving him and letting the offense go. This, however,  did not happen instantly.

The forgiveness process I went  through today was as follows:

1. Got Hurt
2. Got Angry
3. Starter praying about it
4. Experienced the presence of  God, his love, comfort, and healing.
5. Was able to forgive and let  go.

Hurts and offenses can help us  draw closer to God. As His healing presence ministers to us, we become  closer and more like Him. It is only after the wound has been healed by  Him that we can truly forgive and let go of the offense. If I had turned  to Him sooner, I would not have spent almost one hour and a half of my  day in emotional turmoil.

This is only an example of what  happened to me today. I have gone through this process before, with much  greater hurts and pains that I have experienced. In those instances, the  process took much longer than just a few minutes.

Regardless of the magnitude of  the pain or offense, ultimately there is only one way to truly forgive  someone. That way is to let God's love and his understanding flow through  us. As we draw closer to him, forgiving will become easier and easier.

What would happen if we lived,  walked, and had our being in his presence? How would it affect the way  we react to hurtful, offensive, or threatening situations?