Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13 NIV)
To forgive is easy to say, but sometimes not easy to do.
“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." When we pray this line in the Lord’s prayer that Jesus taught us, we are asking God to forgive us exactly in the same way as we forgive those who have hurt us. In other words, if we are harboring unforgiveness in our hearts towards others as we say this prayer, we are hindering God's forgiveness for ourselves.
The more someone has hurt us, the harder it is to forgive them. Yet forgiveness also brings great joy, not only to the forgiven but especially to the forgiver. The Greek term for “forgiveness” (aphiemi) comes from a word that means “to let go.” Forgiveness is a release, a letting go of self-destructive feelings like anger, bitterness, and revenge.
Those who are truly forgiven, truly forgive.
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” - C.S. Lewis