Love's Worth in Forgiveness

To love someone is not just to love them when they are nice. Or when they do things for you, or listen to you. The true test of love is when someone hurts you. Do you love them enough to forgive them in your heart? To not hold any hard feelings, grudges against them? To treat them as you always have - as a friend who has never wronged you?

We are not perfect people. We suffer from time to time because of our mistakes, because of our selfish choices. Selfish choices that affect others in ways we might not have even considered. But we are all selfish. Just because one act of selfishness seems to stand out does not make it any worse. The intention is still the same.

So what do we do with our hardened hearts, feelings of mistrust and betrayal? Are we to turn a blind eye and just let it go? Are we naive to think that this person wouldn't harm us again?

Romans 15:1-2 says,

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up."

and it continues in verses 5-7,

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."

It also says in Luke 6:27,

"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."  

verse 32,

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.[...] But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 

verse 37,

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

So can you truly say you love someone when you can't forgive them for something they've done? Maybe that's why it's so hard to love others these days; because we don't step back to look at the big picture. We see ourselves in the right and the other in the wrong, and feel entitled to make judgments on them. We do not realize that we are equally sinners, neither the better. So just go through life forgiving others, as this is the way we have been taught to love others.