"Forgive Anyone with This One Simple Trick!"

We were kids who thought nothing could come between us — best friends who shared everything, from inside jokes to the unshakable belief that we’d be close forever.

But as we got older, life brought new responsibilities, and things began to change. My friend always seemed to have something else going on. Plans we made were often canceled at the last minute, with excuses that left me wondering if they even cared. I told myself it was just life getting in the way. Deep down though, it hurt.

I felt like I was holding tightly to the friendship while they barely tried.

However, I wasn’t blameless. My own responses — shifting between problem avoidance and subtle passive aggression — only made things worse. I avoided addressing how I felt directly, letting silent resentment fester instead. I’d catch myself stewing after another canceled plan, thinking, “Why should I even bother trying anymore?” but never saying it aloud. Looking back, my actions, or lack thereof, fueled the problem as much as theirs.

Over time, the gap between us grew.

Occasionally, we’d address the elephant in the room. Promises to try harder would be made, only for things to slip back into the same patterns. What had once been a close friendship faded into something distant and polite.

Eventually, my friend moved far away. When they asked for help moving, I declined. At the time, it felt like a small act of justice for all the moments I’d felt let down. For a brief moment, it seemed satisfying to draw that line in the sand. But as the days passed that self-righteous satisfaction faded, leaving behind a hollow ache.

Years later, as God worked in my heart, I realized the weight I carried wasn’t just about my friend.

I had been living as if I was owed something, looking to collect debts from anyone who “took” from me. Only when I learned who I was in Christ could I forgive others and love as Christ loves me: freely, fully, and without condition.

This realization wasn’t just about me and my friend — it revealed something deeper about the nature of forgiveness itself.