Forgiveness brings healing

 

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:31-32

Since September last year I have saw and experienced the absolute worst in people. It’s hard not to become bitter or resentful when people hurt or wrong you, or when their actions lead to heartbreak and loss. What’s even harder is to forgive and forget.

I truly battled with an unforgiving heart these last few months, and the more I battled, the more depressed and physically ill I became. That’s when I realized that unforgiveness is like a deadly poison that slowly kills everything good inside a person.

It took me a while to come to the conclusion that forgiveness is not only about forgiving those that have wronged you, but it’s also necessary for a person’s own spiritual well-being and growth.

Forgiveness brings healing and peace to the person who is forgiving. Forgiveness does not justify the deed or the person—the wrong done is still wrong. It only means that you have decided to let go and move forward—that you have decided to release the wrong and wrongdoer to God for judgment.

According to Dr. Sidney Simon, an internationally recognized authority on self-esteem and negative criticism, forgiveness is about freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. “It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.”

Forgiving others releases us from anger and allows us to begin with the healing process. Isn’t it interesting that research has found that not forgiving someone has health implications. According to research done by Dr. Michael Barry, a pastor and the author of the book, The Forgiveness Project, the immune system and forgiveness are very much connected.

“Most people don’t realize what a burden anger and hatred are until they let it go,” Barry said. “Harboring these negative emotions, this anger and hatred, creates a state of chronic anxiety. When a person forgives from the heart, we find that they are able to find a sense of peacefulness.”

Forgiveness thus not only brings healing, but it is the only true way to find inner peace and happiness.