“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)
 
Forgiving others of grievances, wrongs, or unfair treatment is hard; it’s difficult to let go when betrayed or treated unjustly. Yet that is what The Lord requires since He has done this for us. Bearing with each other is the task of dealing with another’s faults, shortcomings, and undeveloped areas. 
 
I’ve spoken to many people about forgiveness and unforgiveness, and I cannot recall how many times I’ve heard these words: “I’ve tried to forgive, but I just can’t do it.” Over the next few weeks, I will share Scripture and personal testimonies that I pray will help you forgive those who have deeply wronged you or those you love. If you're not inclined to forgive, we'll address that as well.
 
First, 1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” Ask The Lord to help you love Him so much that you would do anything to obey Him. The Lord will never give us a command we don’t have the ability to obey. Something difficult isn’t impossible; we know all things are possible to those who believe.
 
Remember Matthew 19:26, “Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” On our own, it is impossible to forgive someone who is still mistreating us, but we aren’t on our own if we belong to The Lord. We aren’t living in our own strength but in His. So, we can forgive an active insulter situation as it is happening – yes, you can!
 
We will dive deeply into living a life of forgiveness over the next few weeks. God’s Word and His ways can set you free through the forgiveness of your sins and the forgiveness of others’ sins against you. Let’s let God change us so we can change the world for Him!