You’ve been hurt. Part of you is broken, the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, part of you wants to fight. And you’re left with a decision. Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it?

Resentment is when you allow what’s eating you to eat you up. Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist. Bitterness the trap that snares the hunter. And mercy is the choice that can set them all free.

“Blessed are the merciful,” Jesus said on the mountain. “They shall be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7 NIV). Forgiving others allows us to see how God has forgiven us. The dynamic of giving grace is the key to understanding grace, for it is when we forgive others that we begin to feel what God feels. Set your enemy—and yourself—free.

Read more Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.