The last couple of weeks my Sunday school class has been studying and discussing forgiveness.  Each week, we seem to find a greater importance in forgiveness, but also more difficulty in putting it into practice.  It seems that we tend to oversimplify forgiveness to the point that we miss the richness, and also the complexity of the word.
   Last week, we talked about Jesus forgiving those who put him on the cross, and also one of the men who was crucified beside him.  How could Jesus forgive so easily?  We often think it was easy because he was the Son of God.  But was it really?  Remember that Jesus was human also, and was undergoing very real torture, significant pain, and death.  How could he forgive so easily?  How could God the Father ever forgive us humans?
   Our discussions helped us to realize that the heart of forgiveness is not about the past and all the painful memories.  Forgiveness is about the future.  It is about making the future possible, despite the past and all the painful memories.  We don't forgive because we decide that the hurt we have felt is really not so bad.  We forgive because we realize that the relationship, and the future of the relationship is much more important than any past hurt.
   How did Jesus forgive so easily?  How did God the Father?  It was not because the pain was somehow bearable, or because Jesus was able to handle it somehow (It was surely devastating).  God loved (loves) us so much that God wants to make a future for us, a future filled with hope and endless possibility.