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A question on fb goes like this;Can you forgive and still harbor bitterness? And if you answer yes, then have you truly forgiven?The first response was;Yes. And yes. It's not easy. I have some great encouraging info on this & verses to help. I'll find it & post it in awhile. I would like to enter into a discussion about this but would like to have some scriptural and wise input to do so. I personally think that when you have forgiven someone that no bitterness should remain but it's not always that easy. I've had to deal with the same issues before and it seemed easy to forgive but harder to not let bitterness creep back in Our careless feet leaving trails

Forgiveness is more than an event. It is a process. Forgiveness does not mean that a person stops hurting which would include feelings of bitterness, but when commit to forgive, the process of healing has begun. I recently preached the final message on the life of Joseph and it was on forgiveness. If someone wants to view the message they can go to our website: subsplash.com/citychurchchattanooga/v/5b60d41.I addressed this issue.

To my mind, harboring (holding onto) bitterness is inconsistent with real forgiveness. Bitterness is not the exact same thing as unforgiveness; bitterness is the *result* of harboring unforgiveness. Forgiveness is giving up your lawful claim or 'debt' you are holding against someone. If you still harbor an attitude that says, They owe me, or I will make them pay!, then you have not genuinely forgiven them. Without the help of the Spirit of God in Christ, is impossible to give the kind of forgiveness taught and exemplified by Jesus, but with His almighty Spirit of love working in our hearts, it can (and simply must) be done.