Perhaps the most overlooked message of the Bible is the concept of forgiveness. Maybe “overlooked” is the wrong term. Maybe a better term would be “ignored,” or “avoided.”

Let’s face it. Forgiveness is probably one of the most difficult acts that we humans attempt. And more often than not, we fail to fully accomplish the task.

Maybe that’s why the Lord’s Prayer pleads – “forgive us our trespasses,” rather than “forgive me my trespasses.” It is a universal human struggle.

The problem with addressing forgiveness as a simple act is that the spectrum of wrongs that require forgiveness is vast. It might be easy to forgive your spouse for snagging that last piece of pie that you had your eye on. It is a much more difficult task to forgive the neighbor who poisoned your dog or to forgive the hoodlum who assaulted your teenage daughter.

There’s the catch.

The next line in the Lord’s Prayer states, “as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

That line alone clearly shows how far removed we are from the perfection and love that God represents. That line alone illustrates how desperately we need forgiveness above and beyond that of which we are  capable.

Forgiveness means shedding a whole host of human emotions. We need to discard anger, hate, resentment, jealousy, and any number of other human emotions that prevent us from forgiving. It means forgetting wrongs committed against us. It means rejecting the idea of revenge. It means expressing love for those we deem unlovable.

Forgiveness, in those extreme cases, is so foreign to our own self-image, our concept of right and wrong, that we find it difficult, if not impossible, to imagine. After all, our criminal justice system is based on the idea of paying a penalty for wrongdoing.

Many of us yearn for a closer connection to God, and we wonder why we are unable to accomplish that. Perhaps our inability to forgive is the stumbling block. Is it possible that learning to forgive is the key to strengthening our connection to God?

Finally. Hidden in the message of forgiveness is a human bonus that, in itself, brings us closer to our God. Complete forgiveness relieves us of the burden of the memory of the wrongs that plague us.

From a human standpoint, there is no easy answer to the question of forgiveness. But, it is exactly that obstacle that prevents us from closing the gap between our human existence and the spiritual perfection that God would wish us to achieve.

In our human, imperfect form, we may never be able to achieve the level of love that our God would like us to achieve, but practicing forgiveness – at least in the minor issues – might put us on the right path.