Does God really forgive us? If so, why would He want our afterlife to be Hell?

One of the qualities of Waheguru is that he is “Bakhshind” or forgiving. Our bad karma is destroyed by meditating on Naam. Some karma that cannot be destroyed completely can be made minor or made to pass in an easier way. Waheguru is not interested in consigning anyone to eternal hell. We reap what we sow but even then, if we regret our bad actions and meditate on Naam, we can even be saved from the negative consequences of our actions.