You will, inevitably, be hurt in this life. And many of those hurts will be intentional—the direct result of what people say about you or do to you. In fact, any time you read the word “forgiveness,” you might call to mind certain heartaches, hurts, and problems from your past. The memories still feel fresh because you’ve been hurt deeply.

When you’re hurt, it’s often hard to consider forgiving the perpetrators. But the Bible gives one very important reason you need to forgive: You forgive others because God forgave you. 

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (NIV).

Thinking about how much God has forgiven you will help you be more forgiving of those who have hurt you.

The opposite is also true. If you don’t believe and accept in faith that you’ve been forgiven by God, you’ll likely have a hard time forgiving others. If you struggle to forgive other people, consider whether you truly believe God has forgiven you. You can talk to him about any doubts you have.

Look at it this way: God has completely wiped your slate clean of sin because of what Jesus did on the cross. Everything you deserve to be punished for has been cleared away because God has forgiven you. When you accept this truth, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold a grudge against someone else.

Remembering God’s forgiveness toward you can make it easier to let go and forgive others—and he has forgiven you. That’s a promise.