Have you ever said, “Well, if he (or she) would just apologize, I would forgive?” If you are holding on to past grudges and waiting for someone to say, “I’m sorry,” there’s a good chance it will never happen. This verse in Romans 12 tells you to live at peace with everyone, as far as it depends on you. You can’t change that person or what happened. The person may be angry, too. Forgive anyway. Live at peace. 

Think about this: God didn’t wait for the world to apologize before He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to be the perfect sacrifice. Jesus didn’t wait for the world to say it was sorry before He took up His Cross. You can take the first step, too. You can forgive without the other person being sorry, first. That’s what God and Jesus did for you. 

Jesus promised, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14 NIV).