Forgiveness

          Each and every person that has walked on this earth has in some way, shape or form been hurt by another human being. That’s a fact, right? What are we supposed to do when we do get hurt? The pain and anger that builds up can cause rash amounts of stress and difficulties. How do you get rid of that pain, anger and stress? Forgiveness. Forgive is formally defined as “to give up resentment of or claim to requital for” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Now I don’t believe it’s possible to just “forgive and forget,” but I truly believe that a person can overcome the pain and forgive someone, no matter the deed that was done. Lewis B. Smedes once said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Forgiveness gives the forgiver a sense of peace and relief.

            The act of forgiveness genuinely helps improve your physical and mental health. Firstly, it helps improve your relationships (Staff).  Healthy relationships make you genuinely happier. Happiness is always great; it’s like a gateway into a better and more fulfilling lifetime. Also, the threat of medical issues is reduced. High blood pressure is a growing problem, but with less stress and anxiety, the risk decreases (Staff). In addition, forgiving people also helps relieve depression and its symptoms (Staff).  I know from personal experiences that depression is a sort of disease that consumes your life. If you beat yourself up over the inner turmoil someone may have caused you, depression is almost certain. However, forgiveness can change that and help you transform into a much happier person. Even still, forgiving and leaving the anger behind reduces the risk of alcohol and substance abuse (Staff).

Additionally, forgiveness also helps your spiritual well-being (Staff). Personally, I have a strong Christian faith, and I believe that forgiveness is essential to being close to God and to investing into other people. Countless times in the Bible it is commanded to forgive others. For example, Colossians 3:13 states, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (NIV).” Simply put, the verse says that if you claim to be a Christian and have a problem with someone, you should forgive them. Why? Christ forgave our sins, and he even died for them. There are several other examples of forgiveness and even more commandments of forgiveness in the Bible. Eva Mozes Kor is a prime example of unconditional forgiveness. In the movie Forgiving Dr. Mengele which highlighted her experiences at Auschwitz, Eva evaluated the hurt that she had in her soul due to the treacherous events from her child, and though it took several decades, she faced everything, went back to Auschwitz, and decided that since that was in her past she could and would forgive not only the cruel doctor, but the German population as well (Forgiving Dr. Mengele).

To be completely honest, choosing to forgive and actually doing it takes much will power and courage. If you dwell on the anger and resentment long enough, those feelings begin to take root in your mind. After they create a foundation, they can only grow and get worse from there. Sometimes the negative thoughts overpower positive thoughts which results in bitterness (Staff). Multitudes of people struggle with forgiving. Some see it as a sign of weakness, when in reality it just eats away at you. Some people, however, choose not to go through the enduring process of forgiveness. It is a conscious decision. Susan Peabody mentioned in her article, “Furthermore, forgiveness is not a constant state. It ebbs and flows like the tide. Sometimes you feel good about those who hurt you, and other times you feel the anger all over again. But this doesn’t mean you have not progressed” (“The Pros and Cons of Forgiveness”). In her article, she talked about her battle of forgiveness towards her mother, and the relationship wasn’t restored for over six months (“The Pros and Cons of Forgiveness”).

Let’s take a moment and think. Is there someone in your life that has hurt you in some way? Do you still let that event bother you, possibly starting physical and mental tragedies like depression? Is there someone you’ve hurt that you could ask for forgiveness from?  We aren’t all perfect, but we can all forgive and be forgiven. I’m ready to make a difference by forgiving those who have hurt me because my God forgave more than any human being ever could. We should follow Eva Mozes Kor’s prime example of forgiveness. She found true joy and happiness through it, and we can most certainly do the same.