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Just because God longs for us to forgive doesn’t mean it’s easy. The reality is that when someone wrongs us, it really hurts. It’s really difficult. It’s really wrong. And when we’re on the receiving end of that kind of pain, forgiving them feels like the last thing we want to do. It almost feels like offering them forgiveness means what they did doesn’t matter. It feels like we’re saying what they should or should not have done doesn’t matter. Remember this simple command from Paul when you find yourself struggling with forgiveness in this way. As believers, we must hate what is evil and cling to what is good. Notice it doesn’t say who is evil. In other words, we aren’t called to hate the one who wronged us. We’re called to hate the wrong. And with that, we’re called to cling to good. Part of that is choosing forgiveness—the good gift God has given us to set ourselves free. When we forgive, we’re choosing good for ourselves and others. And that is something worth fighting for!

Today, memorize this short verse. Let it remind you to choose what’s good—to choose forgiveness—even when it’s hard.