Hi, its great to see you here again!
Have you meet people who will tell you this? “We have a perfect relationship, we never have any reason to have to forgive”, or something similiar. I know I have.
Do you believe them? That’s a good question! I am not sure I do. No human being is perfect. We all make mistakes at some time or another. In a tense moment we are all capable of doing and saying things we may regret later.
So my conclusion is, we ALL need to learn to forgive because there WILL be a time (or times) in our lives when we need to exercise this grace no matter how perfect the relationship.
Forgiveness in a way goes hand in hand with trust. We can really only trust if we are prepared to forgive when the imperfections of human nature show up.
The Burden Of Unforgiveness
There are few burdens heavier to carry than the burden of being unforgiving.
When we talk about carrying a grudge against someone, the word “carry” is very apt. That is exactly what we are doing. We are literally dragging the person in question along with us throughout life.
They are not neccesarily affected in any way but we are. It is our life we are destroying, not theirs. How come?
The Poison Of Unforgiveness
Well, every time we encounter this person or something that reminds us of them, up pop the memories of the situation that caused the original hurts and the mental drama begins again.
We relive the situation visualizing and dramatizing all we would like to say and do to that person (if it were legal). How negative is that? How much poison are we injecting into our own bodies by allowing such thoughts to predominate in our minds?
Even if it this happens for just a few minutes before we are able to control our thoughts, a few more drops of poison have managed to escape into our subconscious minds and bodies. What a burden to carry!
Getting Rid of the Burden of Unforgiveness
So how do we get rid of this burden? The answer is simple, in one word: Forgive.
One moment, you may be saying, you don’t understand. What they did was totally unjust, a real betrayal, and on it goes.
Believe me I have heard a lot of it (perhaps not all, but almost all), after years of working with families who found themselves in all kinds of incredible situations.
The answer is still found in the same simple word: Forgive.
Before you shut down on me, or get angry, let’s explore what “forgiveness” really means and why some people find it so hard to forgive.
To forgive is often confused with having to trust again. The two words are not the same.
To Forgive or Not To Forgive – You Decide.
First our lives are best led by our decisions (our will), not by our emotions. When we decide not to forgive, we invite a whole army of negative emotions to stay resident in our lives.
When we decide to forgive, we shut the door to this army of emotions and invite peace and tranquility into our lives, which will produce many other positive results.
Your health and the health of your relationships and your loved ones depends on YOUR decision.
What is your decision today?
May All Your Relationships be Successful!
