Forgiving Our Loved Ones

Often times when we think about forgiveness we think in terms of forgiving our enemies, or those who don't have our best interest at heart. Forgiveness, however is not reserved for those who don't mean us well.
We have to be poised to forgive our friends, family and sisters and brothers in Christ. Yes, we are willing to admit that those we love most can rub us the wrong way sometimes. If we have been in these relationships for a long time, we have learned to overlook, or otherwise get past these offenses. But have we really forgiven our loved ones, or have we just chosen to accept these offenses? We have to remember that we are all different and God has fashioned us with different purposes. Each personality and decision making mechanism is different. When offended we must take a moment to forgive our offender. We often shrug it off, "whatever". But if we don't take time to forgive that offense, it hardens our hearts. It is not necessary that we always tell our offender that we have forgiven them, for it is not always known to the offender that he/she has offended. As long as we have asked God to forgive us for any bad feelings or thoughts regarding our offender, and let go of the negative feelings toward them, we are forgivers. This letting go is not an easy task, we need God's help with it. But God is always here to remind us of His love and how it is to be shed abroad in our hearts,
Forgiveness opens the way to ministry. We never know how God will use the incident to bless us, our offender, both or others.
Unforgiven offenses don't just go away, they fester and turn into unwanted little attitudes that crop up when we least expect them.
Check your heart today. Be a forgiver, and if appropriate, ask to be forgiven.