Obtaining forgiveness requires a very simple step. And that’s what makes it so hard!
You could try frantically to fix every consequence of your wrong actions or spend every minute of life wallowing in shame for disobeying God or mistreating others. There is nothing wrong with trying to correct our mistakes or feeling badly when we’ve sinned. But neither can restore a broken relationship. That only happens when we do something much less complicated but far more difficult. Forgiveness can only be received when we ask for it. And that’s the hard part since it requires admitting that we’ve done something that needs to be forgiven in the first place.
There is a small but vital step Christians call “repentance.” The word literally means “turn around and go the other way.” It requires “turning away” from that all-too human propensity to see yourself as the victim, or pretend nothing happened, or blame the other person for being overly sensitive. To restore the relationship, own the problem you caused (or contributed to) and “turn” back toward relationship.
From God – In I John 1:9, the Apostle John wrote “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Simply pray the following: “Dear God, I did NAME YOUR SIN, please forgive me for that.” Like the father of the rebellious child, He will. It’s that simple, and that beautiful.
From Others – The Bible instructs us to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16) That commandment was given to those of us yearning for healing from the effects of broken relationship with God and others that can poison both our spirits and our bodies. But confession requires more than grunting a reluctant acknowledgement of hurt. It involves telling the person we’ve offended: “I need to apologize to you for DESCRIBE THE OFFENSE. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?” They can be very difficult words to utter. But when we say them with sincerity, most people are eager to forgive and rebuild the relationship.