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Hating my father hurt. I had stomach-aches that doubled me over at times.\nBut I tried to hide the pain. Mom shouldn\u2019t have to worry about me, on top\nof everything else.\nMy dad left us and moved in with another woman. Mom said to forgive him,\nbut I won\u2019t. I can\u2019t. I could hear Mom cry at night, and the anger I felt\nwith each of her sobs grew inside of me. But gradually, Mom started to cry\nless. She started living normally. She even seemed happy!\nHow can you be happy? I asked. Why aren\u2019t you angry?\nMom took a deep breath. I still feel angry sometimeslots of timesbut God\nhelps me. She brought out her Bible. Yellow sticky notes poked from\nbetween crumpled, worn pages. God\u2019s Words comfort me. He lets me know I\u2019m\nloved and cherished, and that He will never leave me. And as I\u2019m honest\nwith Him, His love softens my heart so I can forgive, as He does.\nWell, I can\u2019t forgive.\nMom nodded. None of us can, not without the help of the Holy Spirit.\nFor weeks my stomach continued to hurt. One night I wandered into the\nliving room and turned on a light. I saw Mom\u2019s Bible. When I picked it up,\nthe pages opened to one of her sticky notes. Luke 23:34: Jesus said,\nFather, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.\u2019\nJesus said this about the people who crucified Him. He forgave those who\nwhipped His back to shreds, pounded nails into His hands and feet, and let\nHim hang until He died. If Jesus could forgive them\u2026could He forgive my\ndad? Could I? }God, I can\u2019t forgive! Help me!\u201d As I prayed those words, a\ncalmness covered me. And, for just a moment, forgiving my dad felt a bit\nless impossible. Bonnie Carr\n Have you ever felt like the character in this fictional story? True\nforgiveness is only possible through Jesus. He paid the price for all our\nsins by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Since we\u2019ve received\nJesus\u2019s forgiveness, we can forgive others. This doesn\u2019t mean it will be\neasy, or that our anger will go away completely,\nbut the Holy Spirit empowers us to turn to God in our hurt and respond to\nothers with His love. Forgiving someone doesn\u2019t mean we need to have close\nrelationship with themin fact, loving this person might include setting up\nhealthy boundaries. Who are trusted Christians you can talk to about what\nforgiveness might look like in your situation?\n How can pondering the price Jesus paid to forgive you help you extend\nforgiveness to others?\nJust as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Colossians\n3:13b (CSB)\n\xa0\nRead Verses:\nLuke 23:18-Luke 23:34; Colossians 3:12-Colossians 3:13