Practicing the Art of True Forgiveness
How many times have we all "forgiven" someone, only to turn around and bring it all up again when the person does something else to us, either real or imagined? Suddenly, there we are once more, remembering every mean look, every unkind word, every wrong act that the person has ever committed against us.
The truth of the matter is, truly forgiving someone can be very hard to do, and it takes effort on our part. We must be willing to humble ourselves, and put ourselves in the other persons' shoes. We also have to pose some challenging questions to ourselves, such as; "If I did the same thing, would I want or expect to be forgiven?"
Next, we must give ourselves permission to let go of the hurt that this individual has caused us. We have to reassure ourselves that we're really going to be alright, if we just let it go. Letting go means that we will no longer be able to wear wounded feelings like battle scars, or hide behind a shield of resentment.
Just imagine how much violence would be prevented, how many marriages would be saved, how much happier and healthier our society would be, if more people practiced the art of being truly forgiving! The best example there is of someone who truly forgives others, is our Heavenly Father. He actively seeks to forgive us, the Bible, in Psalms 86:5 says in part that he is "ready to forgive". Why not try to follow his example? True, none of us are perfect, but we can definitely give it our best effort.
Being a truly forgiving person also has its physical benefits. Carrying a grudge builds resentment, anger, hostility, and sometimes even rage. It is a fact that these negative emotions can cause high blood pressure, depression, and heart disease. It is also a fact that people who are always angry are much more likely than those who are not, to suffer a heart attack or from heart disease.
So in essence, by practicing the art of true forgiveness, we give ourselves the gift of better spiritual, emotional, and physical health. We also benefit from more peaceful and loving relationships. The persons we benefit the most are ourselves!
Published by Dawn L.
I am a wife of 19 years and the mother of four. I've enjoyed writing since I was a child. View profile
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5 Comments
Post a CommentWhat an insightful article. It's so good I had to print it out. Thank you for sharing this. :-)
Much has happened in my life - I chose to forgive my father in gaining clarity in my heart for things done. Forgetting, not so easy, when scarred in life. Sometimes need to clear the way to find happiness though difficult. Excellent writing
Forgiveness is hard to give. I try. But it is hard to forget the hurt feelings. Very insightful read.
I just realized I hadn't read this writing of yours yet. Really valuable piece of material here. No matter how few page views it may get, its value won't diminish. Few pieces of material on AC are of the quality this is. In fact, I only made it through the fourth paragraph, having read enough. Surely, I'll be back to read some more, if not the rest. Very good piece of work on multiple levels, Dawn. :)
You really know unconditional love when you've made a big mistake and forgiveness is waiting for you