Forgiveness

Jesus said to turn the other cheek
He also said to forgive 7 times 70
Easy for Him to say
He was God
Or at least the son of God

How do I get to the place
Where I forgive those
Who disrespect me and malign me
Those who could care less about my feelings
Yet I still care about theirs

Why is forgiveness so hard
Why does it take so much out of you
Why is it easier to hold on to a grudge
Rather than to let it go
Am I doing something wrong

If it is true that we are to love others
As we love ourselves
And we stay mad at ourselves
For our misdeeds and misdoing
Is it realistic to easily forgive someone

If you extend the olive branch
Of friendship and kindness and forgiveness
And it is not returned
Should you really keep trying
Even if you feel it is a lost cause

Or will persistence win the day
With the honesty and sincerity of words
Be recognized and acknowledged
Followed by a reasonable attempt
To let bygones be bygones

Is this one of the famous battles
Between head and heart
With both having opposing views
But the same hold on your psyche
Neither winning, neither losing

Sometimes I wonder
If our lack of ability to forgive
Is truly more rooted in our
Bruised ego and hurt feelings
Perhaps the pain we feel is comforting

If I were to release my anger and my pain
Only to be knocked again
Who becomes the bigger fool
Me for trying
Or them for doing

I wish that such matters were as easy
As a game of tic-tac-toe
Or perhaps it is
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose
Neither happens if you don’t take a chance

So I resolve to forgive
To be the bigger and better person
Give of myself as I would want others
To give to me
And perhaps this time everyone will win.