It’s hard to forgive but it’s necessary in terms of reciprocity. The bible is clear in Matthew 6:14,”If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” I read an article in CNBC where a man literally gave his ex half of everything he owned. This disgruntled ex-husband, who goes by the name Der Juli online, posted a video to YouTube showcasing him cutting chairs, beds and phones in half for his ex-wife. Did this guy do the right thing? Of course not! His retaliatory actions only temporarily satisfied his fleshy appetite. When you chose to forgive you release the offender from the offense and by releasing the offender you are also releasing yourself. Forgiveness releases our anger, fear, pain and resentment and opens our hearts to joy, peace and love. Yes, others may have done things that have hurt or harmed us, and they are responsible for those actions. But these individuals are not responsible for how we live the rest of our lives. We are responsible for that. On a side note, forgiveness does not always equal, “Welcome back into my life”, to the person who has betrayed, harmed or abused you. Sometimes it can, and that can be a good thing. However, there are times when it is neither wise nor prudent to do so. But you can still free yourself from the burden of pain, anger, fear, hate, bitterness and resentment either way. Nelson Mandela said when asked why he was not resentful for his imprisonment, “Resentment is like a glass of poison that a man drinks; then he sits down and waits for his enemy to die.”