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Lord, I come to you honest and a little tired. I want to forgive this person and I have not managed it yet. The hurt is still real, and I am not pretending it was small. I bring it to you exactly as it is. Lord, help me tell you the truth about how much this wounded me. I do not want revenge to keep steering my heart, but I cannot force feelings I do not have yet. Teach me to release the wish to get even, even while the ache remains. Give me strength for the next faithful step, not the whole distance at once. Meet me in the waiting, and be patient with my slow progress the way you have always been patient with mine. Your word says in Matthew 18:33, “Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?” You have shown me mercy far beyond what I deserved, Lord, so soften my grip on this hurt and help me let mercy shape me too. And in Psalm 37:8 your word says, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.” Quiet the fretting and the wrath in me, Lord, and steady my heart while I wait for forgiveness to grow. Give me wisdom, Lord, to know the difference between forgiving someone and trusting them again. Help me see that letting go of bitterness does not mean pretending nothing happened or removing every boundary that keeps me safe. Guard my heart carefully, since so much of my life flows from it. Where I need distance, give me courage to keep it without guilt. Where I can take a step closer, give me discernment to know that too. Lord, I am not there yet, and I bring that to you honestly instead of hiding it. Walk with me one faithful step at a time. In Jesus’ name, amen.