If you’ve ever set foot in church or heard anything about Christianity at all, you will know that forgiveness is a pretty big topic!
The reason it’s so huge is that it is the foundation of the Christian faith. Jesus’ rescue mission for our lives was totally centred on forgiveness. He came to take on our sin so that we can be forgiven and free to have a personal relationship with God!
I like the sound of that, tell me more…
In the bible, the concept of forgiveness is mentioned more than 75 times!!! (Now you know what I mean when I say it’s a realllyyyy huge topic!)
In Matthew 18:21 one of Jesus’s disciples Peter asks him, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
“Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Poor Peter probably thought he was being super nice even suggesting 7 times but hopefully you get the idea that Jesus was allllllll about forgiveness!
Not only do we learn in the bible that forgiveness is important, but did you know there are also health benefits to forgiveness.
CBN news reported that; “Unforgiveness is classified in medical books as a disease. According to Dr. Steven Standiford, chief of surgery at the Cancer Treatment Centres of America, refusing to forgive makes people sick and keeps them that way. Forgiveness therapy is now being used to help treat diseases, such as cancer.”
Unforgiveness and holding grudges does more damage than good and can often lead to anger, bitterness and resentment. There’s a great quote that explains it perfectly; “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die.”
No body would want to do that!
The point is, unforgiveness will end up hurting you more in the long run. It keeps you and the person bonded to the past and it’ll be a struggle to move on no matter how you try.
Sometimes, there’s not another person involved. It may be that you need to forgive your self for the mistakes you have made!
Above all, I have realised that when God tells us to do something in the bible it’s because he loves us and it’s actually for our own good. It may feel uncomfortable at first to forgive because you think you should be allowed to feel hurt and hold a grudge, but remember, forgiveness only has only benefits and no disadvantages!
