Forgiveness: Medicine for the Body and Soul

First let me say that this is and opinion article. I am not a doctor, counselor, or minister. I'm just a regular person with personal experience with this subject.

For Christians the question of forgiving others is answered by Jesus in the book of Matthew, chapter 18.

Jesus tells the story of a servant that owed a large debt to his master. The servant could not pay the debt so the master ordered that he be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all of his belongings, in order to pay the debt. The servant fell to the master's feet and begged for forgiveness of the debt. The master was moved by this and did forgive the debt.

The servant was then approached by a fellow servant who owed him far less than he had owed the master. The fellow servant could not pay the debt and asked for forgiveness of the debt. The servant refused to forgive the dept and had him imprisoned until he could pay his debt. When the master learned of his servant's behavior he was very angry. He then had the servant imprisoned until he could pay his dept.

In verse 35 Jesus make God's position on forgiveness very clear. He said "So likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you, if ye from your heart forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

Often times when people have bad things happen to them they hold on to the anger, malice, resentment, and hate. These things are normal and expected but over time they will eat away at your soul and, sometimes, your health.
Forgiveness of the offender seems impossible. "Some things are just unforgivable", I was told by a loved one. The anger, malice, resentment, and hate are seeded so deep that the thought of forgiving is almost laughable. These feelings can lead to depression, anxiety, ulcers, and other health problems. These are all serious health problems and can't, usually, be cured with the offering of forgiveness alone. But, I do believe that without forgiveness of the offender the bad feeling will never go away.
Offering forgiveness will, first and foremost, be pleasing to God. In return, God will ease your soul of the burden of anger, malice, resentment, and hate. And when those feelings are not loner there to torment you, many, if not all of those ailments will decline.

May God bless you and may God continue to bless America