Forgiveness

This is from the musical Jane Eyre. Here are the lyrics:

You mustn't be revengeful
You have to be strong
To offer good for evil
Return right for wrong
We must not hold a grudge
And we must learn to endure
Then as God is your judge
At least your heart will be pure
Forgiveness
Is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness of those you hate
Will be your highest reward
When they bruise you with words
When they make you feel small
When it's hardest to bear
You must do nothing at all
Forgiveness
Is the simplest vow
Forgiveness
Of all their crimes
Is your deliverance now
Bless those souls
Who would curse your name
When the last bell tolls
You'll be free of blame
You can continue to grieve
But know the Gospel is true
You must forgive those who lie
And bless them that curse you
Forgiveness
Is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness of those you hate
Will be your highest reward
The time will come when we will leave this world,
and then the injustice and the pain and the sin will fall away from us,
and only the spark of the spirit will remain - returning to God who created it
You must never lose faith
You must never lose heart
God will restore your trust
And I know you're afraid
I'm as scared as you are
But willing to be brave
Brave enough for love

On Sunday, my sister asked me to go to a farewell with her. I didn't know the kid very well, but I felt like I should go. I went, and for a few minutes this young man spoke about forgiving others. As he was speaking, I felt the Spirit very strongly and burst into tears. At that moment, Heavenly Father was specifically telling me to forgive someone who I have held a grudge against for a long time. And it has probably not affected them in anyway, but the bitterness I feel is keeping me from progressing. So now, I have spent four days working on forgiving this person whole-heartedly. And guess what? It's tough. Really tough. It's not going to happen overnight. But I know that through this process I will become more like Jesus Christ, because He is willing to forgive all of us, even for the most horrible sins. So how can I not be willing to forgive others? There is no excuse.