People often don’t do things the way we’d like. They don’t live up to our expectations. They say or do things that hurt our feelings or the feelings of those we care about. They let us down when we are depending on them. They reject us when we need to be wanted. They discriminate against us when we want to be included. They ignore us when we seek notice. Their actions make us angry. Our hearts fill with bitterness and resentment. We want to lash out, to hurt them as they have hurt us. At this point we have two choices. We can seek revenge, do whatever is necessary to get even for the wrong we think they have done to us. “Don’t get mad; get even” is the mantra of many. That is the way of the world; “Revenge is sweet,” as the saying goes. Unfortunately, vengeance doesn’t heal us. The wound is still there. We find no peace in retaliation. We are just as miserable as we were before, if not more so. The alternative choice is to accept folks as they are and forgive them for the wrong they have done us. This is not always an easy choice. What they have done may seem absolutely unforgivable. But the fact of the matter is that, until we release the enmity that is binding our hearts, we can’t begin to heal. We seem to think that forgiving someone is for the other’s benefit, when in reality it is the one who forgives who is set free, blessed. As long as we allow the wound to fester, we are prone to spiritual gangrene. When we finally get tired of suffering, we can ask God to cauterize the wound with the fire of Divine Love and enable us to forgive the offender(s) from the bottom of our hearts. We can choose to follow the way of our forgiving God, who is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness, who urges us to “forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Lk.23:34 KJV) The choice is ours.