It’s the most wonderful time of the year! From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, our calendars are jam packed with shopping, cooking and making it to all the places we are supposed to be. The truth is, “the most wonderful time of the year” can be exhausting – and, for many of us, there is one dreaded thing about the holiday season: spending time around a person who has hurt us in some way. It’s a relationship that was broken at some point in the past and never resolved; unfinished business remains between you and that person.

Imagine what it would feel like to move past those feelings of hurt and resentment and extend forgiveness to the person who has hurt you. Forgiveness might just be the best gift you can give during the holidays this year.

To forgive – we know it’s a requirement for the person who is following Jesus, and we know Jesus explained why. He stated, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15, NASB).

Why can it be so difficult to forgive? Obviously, the pain we experienced from the offense is real, and it’s natural to not want to be hurt again. Be it financial, emotional or in extreme cases physical, the pain often lingers long after the relationship is broken. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our best to respond in a Biblical way.

The ideal goal when extending forgiveness is full reconciliation – restoring the relationship to the level it was prior to the offense. That’s the way God forgives us! However, there will be times when forgiveness without full reconciliation is the wise choice. The relationship won’t be restored to the level it was before. Perhaps it will include setting some boundaries to prevent that person from wrecking your life in the same way a second time.

Allow me to offer one more reason why forgiving someone might just be the best gift you can give this holiday season. When you forgive, you are actually giving yourself a gift that keeps on giving. Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom put it this way: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and to discover the prisoner was you.” When I withhold forgiveness, I’m the one who pays an ongoing price.

Is there someone you need to forgive? If so, don’t wait. Forgive them now. It probably won’t be easy, but when you extend forgiveness, you will be blessed.

Philip Goad has been serving as the minister at North Highlands Church of Christ in Russellville since March 2020.