I heard someone say once that when we do not forgive it is like punishing oneself for someone else’s stupidity.
While there is some truth in this, I do not believe that it is enough from a Christian perspective.
Jesus spoke about loving our neighbour as ourselves. So many times he spoke about forgiveness and so often forgave generously himself.
It is not always easy to forgive. If someone has been badly hurt by another it may indeed take time, sometimes, a long time for forgiveness to take place. Sometimes asking God to help move towards forgiveness is what a person can do at the time.
We cannot be everyone’s best friends. We do not ‘click’ with everyone in the same way.
There may be things that we dislike about a person, sometimes even in people we love.
Forgiveness is about freedom and love.
When for some reason, I find myself being uncomfortable with someone, I find that telling myself to love them and a little prayer can make a big difference.
A great example of forgiveness is Jesus forgiving those who crucified him.