Has someone hurt you and you can’t seem to move past it? Do you want to seek revenge so that person can feel the pain they inflicted on you? If you answered yes, let me encourage you to forgive them instead. Holding on to the hurt and anger for an extended period of time can damage your well-being and keep you in bondage. You may ask…. what’s in it for you to forgive someone for wronging you. Well, here are three ways forgiveness heals you.
First, forgiveness heals your mind.
It allows you to make wise decisions instead of plotting revenge that could harm you or your family in the future. For example, deciding to have an affair to get back at your spouse can gain you a stalker or worse. Do not allow your hurt feelings to dictate your negative thoughts. Instead, do what Philippians 4:8 says…
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Second, forgiveness heals your body.
If you don’t forgive, the stress from those negative thoughts and feelings will affect your body. Stress brings sickness, such as high blood pressure and ulcers. Refusing to forgive can cause you to worry about getting hurt again. You may fear being in another relationship due to the possibility of another disappointment. The act of forgiving does not have a feeling, but the results can. Deciding to forgive releases the tension from your body and brings a sense of peace.
Lastly, forgiveness heals your soul.
If you continue to dwell on the wrong done to you and allow negative thoughts to control your irrational actions, you run the risk of delaying a blessing. There may be something or someone that is supposed to be in your life, but the decisions you make because of not forgiving someone can cause you to delay or even miss it. Mark 11:24 says
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [25] And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Forgiving someone does not say that what that person did was OK. It means you no longer allow it to hold you hostage. You have the right to be angry and hurt; just don’t stay in that place. Envision your forgiveness like a helium balloon released in the air; once you let it go, it never returns. Move forward by faith, embrace your healing and forgive.
BMWK – Are you ready to forgive someone today?