Forgiveness. It grows the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, & kindness.
It easily feels as though forgiving means that the person who wronged us didn't do anything wrong, or that we have to be friends with them if we give forgiveness.
Forgiveness is actually the full acknowledgement that the other person wronged us. After that acknowledgement, it's asking God not to hold it against them & personally not holding it against them. Fully releasing them from the infringement. It is possible even if we don't want to do it; with God. Jesus said all things are possible for those who believe.
When we forgive, we then get opportunity after opportunity to hand the bits of it over to God. Every time you see that person or their name comes up and a twinge of unforgiveness or hate arise, there in lies the choice to give it to God again and to forgive. Bit by bit the unforgiveness lifts and each time we are filled a little more with love, or joy, or peace, or patience, or kindness... or all of these.
Things like this... they are a process. And that process is worth it. I mean who doesn't want more love, joy, peace, patience, or kindness?
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