Forgiveness

"Though your sins are like scarlet,

    I will make them as white as snow.

 Though they are red like crimson,

    I will make them as white as wool."

Isaiah 1:18

This is an excerpt from my daily devotional for today:
"In Christ all of our sins are wiped away - completely.  When we come to him in repentance, he doesn't just give us more time to make up for our sins.  He doesn't give us a list of suggestions and one more chance to redeem ourselves.  No, he casts our sin away from us, as far as the east is from the west.  He washes away our failures and puts us on the path of freedom and victory.  And he promises to walk with us, helping us along the way.  Take some time today to ponder your heavenly Father's generosity.  Let the Holy Spirit expand your imagination so that you can envision the possibility of complete forgiveness, the hope of every spiritual debt being canceled with no questions asked.  Let this promise soak into your heart and transform the way you think.  The more you understand God's radical gift of mercy, the easier it will be for you to forgive the people around you.  Look to your merciful Father, and you will become merciful yourself."
Personally I think that true forgiveness for someone who has hurt you in a deep way is extremely hard to practice in our daily lives.  However, when I read this passage and meditated on God's complete mercy towards us, I found a new perspective.  God is our Father and he watches us hurt him with the sins we commit every day, and yet he showers us completely with mercy and makes us whole again through Reconciliation.  Why can't I do the same for my brothers and sisters in Christ.  In my past I was deeply hurt by a boyfriend of mine.  After some time I told myself I had forgiven him as I moved on with a better life for myself.  However, I harbored a grudge against what this boy did to me for quite some time.  It wasn't until someone told me that unless I forgave him completely, I was letting his sin rule in my life.  I remember when I was finally able to let go completely through Confession and  how powerful the cleansing hands of the Priest were as he laid them on my head and absolved me of my sins.  When we ask for forgiveness, God forgives us wholly every time.  I pray that I can put that into practice towards my brothers and sisters.