Thought of the Day: Forgiveness

"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this...

... Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trepasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trepasses, neither will your Father forgive your trepasses" Matthew 6: 7 - 14

Have I been giving God empty words in my prayers? Have I forgiven others who have hurt me unintentionally or intentionally in the past? What does it mean to forgive in words, in deeds, in thoughts and in my overall spiritual disposition towards the 'debtor'? Is my lack of communication towards that person or persons a reflection of an inward unforgiving spirit even though I have forgiven them in words? Are my prayers empty in that sense? And what does it mean when my Father is unable to forgive me because of my unforgiving spirit? I'll think about it more, internalize it, and write about it in the next few days.