People often mistake forgiveness for a feeling, but it goes much deeper. Basically it boils down to a choice, an act of free will. A prime example of forgiveness from the scriptures is Joseph.

Joseph, the elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel, comes to the pages of the biblical account at age seventeen (Genesis 37). He is first seen tending his father's flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, Jacob's other wives. The biblical account does not go into detail about what happened while in the fields, but Joseph comes back from helping tend the sheep with "a bad report" about his brothers.

Jacob loved Joseph and favored him over the others because he was the youngest and was born to Jacob in his old age. Jacob enjoyed spoiling Joseph. After the incident with t…