We all have been hurt and wronged by other people at some point in our lives, but the question is: how do you forgive them? Forgiveness isn't something that comes naturally to most of us. In fact, it's often one of the hardest things to do because we feel like we're letting someone else off the hook for hurting us. This blog post will explore forgiveness as part of living a healthy lifestyle and tips on making forgiving easier.
From a biblical perspective, God makes our sins forgivable. When we ask for forgiveness, God will forgive us. He made a way to the cross so that any sin can be forgiven- including resentment and anger towards our transgressors, which would, in turn, make it very hard, if not impossible, to live a healthy lifestyle without constant feeling guilty! A perfect example of forgiving someone is when Jesus forgives those who were responsible for his persecution and death on the cross; this act shows how important he thinks showing mercy/compassionate love truly means.
So how do we learn how to forgive?
Before we can even answer this question, we need to understand we need to forgive our transgressors for the resentment and anger they caused can start to heal. Forgiveness does not mean that what occurred is okay or acceptable; it simply means letting go of all negative feelings. This allows you to measure how much damage has been done to us spiritually by their hurtful actions (whether intentional/unintentional) while restoring our peace. We don't always choose whether someone apologizes. Truthfully, you might not ever get an apology. However, no matter when an apology comes from, forgiveness would still be needed as this person may never understand fully the depth of hurt that has happened.
An excellent way to start forgiving (A five-step strategy):
Step one: remember that God forgave us; if he can forgive us, then we can forgive them.
Step two: talk about why resentments are being carried and what that does to our own life.
Step three: write down the reason(s) for why it is crucial to forgive this person.
Step four: write down the benefits of forgiving this person.
Step five: take time to reflect on how you will forgive them and then go through with it!
Forgiveness is important because it can allow you to let go of resentment and feel more at peace with yourself. Resentment weighs on your mind, making decisions harder for no good reason - so forgiveness could actually make life easier! When someone wrongs us, we should try our best not to act out in anger or revenge (because that only fuels resentments). Instead, take some deep breaths before reacting by sitting down a taking few minutes alone to calm ourselves from any emotional turmoil happening inside oneself; this will help center what one wants as an appropriate response when dealing directly afterward upfront, either verbally/emotionally speaking face too faced confrontation which leads into further understanding both sides better without distractions while also keeping perspective respectively.
Forgiveness is not easy to do, but over time if we practice, we can get to a point where it doesn't have to be difficult. And you don't have to go through it alone. God is always available to help you. Do you have some strategies about forgiveness that you'd like to share, let us know!
