The Liberating Mechanics of Forgiveness/Releasing

Consider this scenario: You have been hurt, wronged, slandered, perhaps the victim of a crime, or any other scenario where you have been wronged. You might be hopping mad, and you have a right to be, and in your anger, tears, and with your teeth gritted together you utter the words: "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE OR FORGET."

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21, 22

Why would Jesus say this? How could He tell us that we have to forgive those who have sinned against us? How could He possibly know how we feel or what we have been put through?
He got up on that cross for us, and among His last words in that body were, "Father forgive them..."
Unforgiveness is costly...much more so than we sometimes realize. The heart of flesh turns to stone, roots of bitterness form, every waking thought is consumed by hatred, anger, holding onto that pain, it requires tremendous emotional and spiritual maintenance to stay there.
In farming and rural areas there is a contest known as a "tractor pull".
In the contest, the tractor pulls a huge sled loaded with weights, and as it goes forward the weights move forward! increasing the load until the tractor is immobilized.
As we walk forward the weight of unforgiveness and its burdens becomes heavier, and eventually it can change our destiny, changing our focus from Jesus to ourselves... In it are contained poisonous elements of selfishness. In the cup of unforgiveness is slavery and death-physical and spiritual.

Jesus issued us a warning:
"For if you forgive As we walk forward the burden becomes heavier.other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. "
Matthew 6:14, 15

Consider now what happens when we forgive! We release it all to the Lord, casting these burdens away, and as we do, we release not only those we wouldn't forgive, but more importantly, ourselves.
I believe our forgiving others is a form of worship, and it goes up as incense before the Lord...
Life begins anew, the same mercies we extend are extended to us, slavery is replaced with freedom and truth.