or judgmental, and I don't want God to treat me that way. I believe that God forgives me, and I know I can't expect to be forgiven without making that concession myself, but I still find it hard to forgive sometimes, and so I can't genuinely ask God to treat me in the unChristian attitude that is mine too often. Got any words of advice? Here's the R: First, God bless you for taking those lines of the Lord's prayer seriously! I imagine that if more people really pondered what they say, they wouldn't be able to (or want to!) pray them either. Most people either say them without thinking or twist them to say what they wish they said: "Give me unconditional forgiveness and then I'll see about forgiving others, maybe, someday." But try this. If this prayer is revealing God's heart ... then the point of those lines is that God's will is reconciliation. Existing human conflicts will not be resolved by revenge, by holding grudges, by hate, by genocide, by violent reprisals or threats. They will only be healed when we all seek God's forgiveness for our part in conflict and then extend that forgiveness to others for their part in conflict. So praying this prayer says, "God, I agree. This is the only way to peace. I want to be part of it." And try this: the Lord's prayer isn't obsessed, as we in Western Roman Christianity typically are, with avoiding hell. The prayer isn't focused