Then Peter came to Jesus and asked him, “Lord, how often do I have to forgive a believer who wrongs me? Seven times?” Jesus answered him, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:21–22
Forgiveness is something you can give. You just have to realize that people are trying to do the best they can. What someone has done or said to you is never as important as what God has done for or said to you.
It is true that you can’t always trust people. They are human and they make mistakes. But you can always trust God, and his position is clear on this: forgiveness is good for you. It comes with a spiritual gift, the gift of freedom. If you can’t get over what someone has done or said to you, then you can’t be free from it. It’s gonna keep on haunting you and bugging you until you let go of it. And you can’t be too sure that God wasn’t using this particular insult or attack to further his kingdom in some way. After all, he himself hardened Pharaoh’s heart when he sent Moses to ask Pharaoh to set his people free (see Exod. 9:12). Why would he do such a thing? It may have been to show the people his power and to prove his devotion to them no matter what the obstacles. We don’t always know why God allows certain problems in our lives, but we do know that if he allows them, it is for a very good reason.
When people don’t do what you want them to do, practice forgiveness and the art of getting over it. Holding on to pain is useless; it only keeps the pain close at hand. So let it go and be willing to offer forgiveness when others ask for it and to get over things even if they never apologize.