Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? “Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Since God has forgiven us and others without condemnation, who are we to hold on to the transgressions of others and condemn others? If we are made in the image of God and we are to walk as Jesus did, we have the capability to forgive others. Not only do we have the capability to forgive but, we are commanded to forgive.

When someone has wronged us, we are to forgive them and move on. Don’t speak about the incident any longer. When we speak about it, we rehearse the incident in our minds. The longer the incident remains in our minds the longer we keep the fire of bitterness alive. Also, when we speak about the incident, we condemn others and give someone else the opportunity to condemn the wrongdoer.

We need to free ourselves and not be bound by the chains of pain from our past.