The command to forgive one another can at times seem impossible to fulfil. Unresolved hostility and suppressed hurt can simmer away in our hearts and consciences for years. We may feel powerless to overcome feelings of bitterness and even rage towards those who have wounded us. Sometimes our refusal to forgive settles into a well-rehearsed coolness towards the person concerned or a wall of protection to guard from further pain. It is when we see the extent to which God has forgiven us and the way He releases us from our sins that we are enabled to do the same towards one another.