Forgiveness

I've been thinking a lot about forgiveness... when to forgive, who to forgive.

I came across this devotional, which is e-mailed to me daily by Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional.. check it out!)Here's a little excerpt:

We have to forgive the people who’ve hurt us, and it has nothing to do with whether or not that person deserves forgiveness. They don’t deserve forgiveness, but then, we don’t deserve it either.

we should forgive knowing we will need God’s forgiveness sometime in the future. Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV).

Carrying a grudge just keeps us stuck in the past, and when we’re stuck in the past, we’re controlled by the past. Our unforgiveness can control us. The Bible says, “Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple” (Job 5:2 NLT).
The Bible also says that only the foolish harbor a grudge (Ecclesiastes 7:9). Accept forgiveness from God and give forgiveness to others.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing, but it's not always the easiest thing to do.
I wonder sometimes if we, as Christians, are obligated to forgive those who have done wrong by us. I wonder if turning the other cheek is always the best policy, or if fighting back will solve any of the problems we had in the first place.....

What do you think?