Recently I chatted with a man who was nervous, physically ill and disturbed emotionally. I felt he should visit a specialist, but he wanted to talk with me, so I patiently listened. As his story came out, I began to understand why he was so miserable: he was long on memory and short of forgiveness. He remembered every unkind thing anybody had ever said or done to him. At times, his eyes blazed with murderous anger. Once more I was reminded of the importance of forgiveness as one of the greatest spiritual medicines in all the world.

Mark Twain is best known for his humorous stories, but he would be a philosopher when he wanted to be. A poignant statement of his was, "Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it." Forgiveness is not easy but it is necessary. An unforgiving spirit doesn't hurt the other person, it hurts us. To harbor grudges, to cultivate malice toward another person, to refuse to forgive--all of these poison the inner man and produce spiritual and emotional sickness.

How can a person cultivate a forgiving spirit and avoid the terrible poison of malice and hatred? Maybe the following suggestions will be helpful.

• Spend time daily with the Lord in His Word and in prayer. Get to know God better. As you do, you will realize what sin really is, and you will discover that there are areas that still need help.
  
  
• Realize what it costs God to forgive you. One reason Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper was to remind us that He died for us. When we realize the meaning of the cross, we have to forgive others.
  
  
• Let the Holy Spirit within you generate the kind of love that it takes to forgive others. The fruit of the Spirit is love. You and I cannot manufacture forgiveness, it is something God does within us as we yield to him.
  
  
• Realize how costly it is to have an unforgiving spirit. Hannah More wrote, "A Christian will find it cheaper to pardon than to resent. Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."

When you turn to Christ in faith and have your sins washed away by His blood, He forgives you unconditionally. If He does this for you, should you not be able to forgive others?