Forgiving is a great virtue, and forgiveness cannot be considered as separate from virtue, or virtue as separate from forgiveness. Forgiving is all about letting go of anger, resentment and sorrow, and bring in love, compassion and tolerance.

Forgiving is a spiritual grace every Christian should develop, and is something many Christians struggle with, especially when the offenses result from "deep soul wounds." The joy of being forgiven is only that of a sinner and of this earth; the joy of forgiving is Jesus Christ's own joy, the joy of heaven. Forgiving is not easy but it is a commandment from God.

In prayers, we must remember that all our human forgiving is grounded in God's forgiveness of us, and all forgiving is a divine miracle which belongs to God. The Bible teaches that forgiving is not a sign of weakness, but of power.

Forgiving is the essence of spirituality because it prepares us for our ultimate liberation from suffering, and Jesus says that the path to forgiving is recognizing our own debilitating need for forgiveness. Forgiving is difficult to do on your own. You need the Lord to accomplish this. Mark 10:27: "And Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."

But forgiving is often easier said than done. Why is it so hard to do? Still, forgiving is something you must do. Matthew 6:15 says, "But if you do not let men have forgiveness for their sins, you will not have forgiveness from your Father for your sins."

Forgiving is an attribute of God, and as human beings we are expected to be forgiving and carry out that attribute of God as best as one can towards people. God is much-forgiving, and is the dispenser of grace.

The Christian grace of forgiving is an essential component in the spiritual health and healing of God's children. One reason we resist forgiving is that we do not really understand what forgiveness is or how it works. We think we do, but we do not. The first person to benefit from forgiving is the one who does it, and forgiving is a journey; the deeper the wound, the longer the journey.

Martin Luther once said that "forgiveness is pure happiness." To achieve this miracle of "pure happiness" and to heal from our wounds in forgiving and forgiveness; we must choose to give up our right to resentment and we must choose to re-establish compassion, generosity, and love toward the very person or people that hurt us. When we realize that forgiving is the only remedy; forgiving is something good we do for ourselves. The Art of Forgiving is itself a work of art and a gift that God has given us.

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