"So, the real question is, do any of us deserve God's love? The truth is we don't , but He gives it to us anyway. That's what we are called to do. To be Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you". -C.S. Lewis

It isn't a secret that sometimes people are just extremely hard to love. I don't even know how to express how unloving I feel towards my brothers whenever they leave three Cheerios in the bag and expect me to consider that breakfast. It takes everything within me not to snatch away their overflowing bowls of cereal and leave them with the minuscule amount. But I am called, as a Christ follower, to forgive the inexcusable ( yes, cereal inequality is INEXCUSABLE) because God himself has forgiven the inexcusable in me.

I started off with that silly example because this is honestly a tough pill to swallow, at least it is for me. Forgiving and loving people who have hurt us? Why would anyone willingly do that? Here are a few reasons why I choose to forgive the people who have wronged me.

I forgive because if I don't, bitterness begins to consume me. Forgiving people may be hard, but I promise you that the only thing harder than forgiving them is NOT forgiving them. Last year, I discovered that a girl whom I considered a close friend was saying unkind things about me to others. I had previously been really close with this girl and was extremely hurt that she would do such things. I began to harbor so much bitterness towards her that I couldn't even be around her without being immediately brought into a bad mood. Let me tell you, it was no fun at all. One day, I decided I was tired of living with this bitterness in my heart and I gave all of my hurt from that situation to the Lord and let her know I had forgiven her. As soon as I had told her, I felt better.

I forgive because others have forgiven me. I am so thankful that I have people in my life who time and time again forgive me. On days that I am upset, I tend to lash out and say hateful things to others, things that I don't mean and regret later. If the people in my life had not forgiven me and shown me love whenever I surely didn't deserve it, I would be without my closest friends and family. Forgiving others not only helps us, but I believe it brings peace to the offender as well.

I forgive because Christ forgave me. Let's be real. I am a sinner. A big sinner. But my God is a big savior. Every time I have disobeyed Him and sprinted away in the opposite direction, he relentlessly chases after me. Before I ever gave my life to Him, Christ knew every aspect of life. He knew I would disobey, he knew I wouldn't always be kind, he knew I would sin, yet he forgave me and he loved me. He loved me so much that even while he thought of all the wrong I would do while he hing on the cross, he still willingly chose to die in my place. That is both the ultimate act of forgiveness and love that I can ever imagine. If Christ could forgive me for every wrong thing I would ever do, then I surely must forgive others for the few wrongs they may do to me.