Life is not perfect and neither are we. There are unfortunate things that happen to us, and there are people who hurt us emotionally and physically. Sometimes we even betray ourselves.
This is all part of life. The pains that we experience can be as simple as your foot being stepped on by someone or as complex as being abused and hurt by the one you truly love.
There are times when the offense can leave you physically and visibly injured, covered with wounds and bruises. Other times the pain can not be seen, but the pain is still there, hurting you emotionally.
You may want to take revenge and get even. However, this will not make your pain any better. No matter what the fault is, whether the effect on you is physical or emotional, the answer will always be forgiveness.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is freeing ourselves from the initial reaction of being hurt, the feeling of rage, resentment, and thoughts of vengeance towards the one who offended us, including ourselves. It is looking past the pain it has caused you and forwards to the lessons you gain from any wrongdoings you may experience.
It doesn’t always mean reconciliation or forgetting the bad things that someone has done to you. It is just where you give yourself the power to not allow the offender to continuously bring you pain anymore. It is where you release yourself from the negative effects it has on you.
Forgiveness doesn’t guarantee that any relationship will return to the way it was. All it does is open the door to the possibility of healing the relationship in the future.
Benefits of Forgiving
Forgiveness can be given whether the offender asks for it or not. It is a gift to yourself and to others. It is our decision whether we forgive or not, even if the offender does not admit they are at fault. If we do forgive, it can be a wise decision as there are forgiveness benefits.
Forgiveness Has Positive Effects On Your Health
Forgiving someone can improve your sleep and lower levels of anxiety and stress. It can also lower your risk of heart attack and high blood pressure. When you forgive, you let go of negative emotions such as anger and resentment which have bad effects on your health.
Stress causes dis-ease! When you free yourself from anger and stress, your mind becomes at peace and your body more relaxed, which will help you sleep a lot better.
Forgiveness Improves Your Relationships with Others
Relationships are usually destroyed because of wrongdoings committed. When someone hurts you, especially by those close to you, you lose your trust in them. Trust is the foundation of a good relationship, and once it is gone, relationships fall apart.
When you feel angry, you build up a wall around you, to protect yourself from them. If you can forgive it breaks that wall down, allowing you to develop an improved relationship with them.
Forgiveness Sets You Free
When you are wronged, it is normal to feel angry, to hold a grudge, or even desire revenge, especially if the one who has hurt you does not take responsibility for their actions. Holding on to negative feelings will only hinder you from moving forward and make you feel unhappy.
The resentment you feel will only hold you back, not the person who has hurt you. So they actually beat you again! Do not give them the satisfaction of being still able to affect you. Let go and be free.
Forgiveness Provides Healing
Being offended can cause you pain, either physically, mentally, or emotionally. There are times when the bruises may have healed but emotionally and mentally you remain wounded. When you can forgive, you let go of your anger, and then you can accept the healing it offers.
Forgiveness is not easy to give especially if you are deeply hurt and the one who hurt you is not even apologizing for their mistakes. That causes us to struggle with our emotions. We struggle because we want to get even when we are highly offended.
Life is a journey where we learn something new every day. We gain lessons from our experiences, be them either good or bad. We make mistakes towards others and to ourselves. Nobody has gone through their life journey on a perfect path. That’s what makes us all human. Our mistakes. What makes us get over our imperfections is forgiveness.
If you can learn to forgive yourself and those who have wronged you, your health, your relationships, and your well-being will benefit hugely!
