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Then Peter came to him and asked, ``Sir, how often should I forgive
a brother who sins against me? Seven times?'' ``No!'' Jesus replied, ``seventy times seven! The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date. In the process,
one of his debtors was brought in who owed him $10,000,000!
He couldn't pay, so the king ordered him sold for the debt, also his wife and children and everything he had. ``But the man fell down before the king, his face in the dust, and said, `Oh, sir, be patient with me and I will pay it all.' ``Then the king was filled with pity for him and released him and forgave his debt. ``But when the man left the king, he went to a man who owed him $2,000 and grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. The man fell down before him and begged him to give him a little time. `Be patient and I will pay it,' he pled. But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and jailed until the debt would be paid in full. Then the man's friends went to the king and told him what had happened. And the king called before him the man he had forgiven and said, `You evil-hearted wretch! Here I forgave you all that tremendous debt, just because you asked me to-- shouldn't you have mercy on others, just as I had mercy on you?' Then the angry king sent the man to the torture chamber until he had paid every last penny due. So shall my heavenly Father do to you if you refuse to truly forgive your brothers.'' LVB Matthew 18:21-35

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each person's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. Longfellow

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But, the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?                      Alexander Solzhenitsyn

A. The Illusions of Not Forgiving

      1. Illusion #1: If this hadn't happened, you would have had a more "perfect" life.

      2. Illusion #2: Being one of the good guys."

      3. Illusion #3: Power.

      4. Illusion #4: You won't be hurt  again.

B. What Forgiveness is not.

      1. Myth #1:     Forgiveness is not forgetting.

      2. Myth #2:     Forgiveness is not condoning.

      3. Myth #3:     Forgiving is not absolution.

      4. Myth #4:     Forgiveness is not a form of self-sacrifice.

      5. Myth #5:     Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness,
but of strength.

      6. Myth #6:     Forgiveness is not a clear-cut, one-time decision.

Conclusion

"And that is what forgiveness is all about--working through the unfinished business, letting go of the pain and moving on for your sake. You forgive so that you can finally get rid of the excess emotional baggage that has been weighing you down and holding you back; so that you can be free to do and be whatever you decide instead of stumbling along according to the script painful past experiences wrote for you."  (Dr. Sidney Simon, Forgiveness: How to Make Peace with Your Past and Get On With Your Life).

Forgive:     to cease to feel resentment against [an offender].

Condone: to pardon or overlook voluntarily;
                     esp.: to treat as if trivial, harmless, or of no importance.