"Forgiving is not easy....We often miss the spirit of forgiving, because we miss the meaning of forgiving. Forgiving is not forgetting the offense or pretending that it did not hurt us. To forgive is not to forget the hurt, let alone to deny it, but to remember it without a desire for revenge." (Louis Rodriguez)

Jesus is our role model in this. How often was he maligned, judged, ridiculed and condemned but did not take revenge on those who sought his harm, even  his life! Even on the cross, he said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." He did not deny the hurt. He refuse to give them power over him through revenge and retaliation. He was not looking for his "pound of flesh" as we so often are. He knew the freedom of forgiveness and the bondage of non forgiveness. He chose freedom.