Forgiving sucks but you need it.

"Forgiving isn't easy. It's really really hard but if God can forgive us then shouldn't we be able to forgive each other? "

That's the question I proposed to my friend. We both know this person who has hurt me in the past and after talking to my mom I realized I've been holding onto my anger so I let it go and I'm forgiving that person. My friend didn't think I should forgive that easily. When I asked why they said "because that person hurt you!" 

I wasn't going to turn our conversation into one about God. I always try to have little hints about God but I try to make sure I don't offend people so much that they refuse to talk about God altogether. But tonight I said 

"Am I a sinner? Have a done wrong to others? Yes I  have and I am. 

So does that mean I deserve to rot in Hell?" 

And my friend responded with a no and I said that they knew where I was going with it and I was right. But I told my friend that if they knew where I was going with it then let's get there. We had a long discussion about how I do deserve to rot in hell (we all do) because I'm a sinner and I've done wrong and I do wrong and I'm mean to people but I told her I wasn't going to hell because God loves me so much he sent Jesus, his only son, down here to die for my sins. I told her God forgave me for what I did. I told her to look at Micha 7:18-19 which says 

“Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”

(Micah 7:18-19 NLT)

Like the title says, forgiving sucks but we do need it. It sucks because we are prideful creatures and saying "I forgive you" feels almost like we are saying "I was wrong to stay mad I'm sorry" and we hate to be wrong, because  we are prideful. But sometimes (A lot of times) we are wrong but it takes a big person to admit that they are wrong. I think in Christ we can become that big person because to accept Jesus we have to adimt we've been living the wrong way, adimt we were wrong to sin. But even tho we were wrong and sinned and we were a terrible person He forgave us and still forgives us. 

It's hard to forgive people but as Christians we should turn the other cheek. I don't think we can do this unless we have God with us and talk to Him all the time and say "Lord help me forgive ______, like you forgave me. Help me strive to be like you and help heal my heart over the hurt ________ has caused and help me move past it"