Have you been so deeply hurt by someone that you’ve found it difficult if not impossible to forgive them and move on? Maybe the person cheated on you, or a friend betrayed you, someone stabbed you in the back, or you were used by someone and thrown away like a piece of trash. And you may find yourself feeling a range of emotions–anger, sadness, depression, bitterness, hopelessness, and others. Maybe you might want to forgive the person but you’re not sure if you want to or even should. So, what do you do?
Holding onto the pain, anger, resentment, and bitterness hurts you more than the other person. It keeps us stuck. It’s living in our own self imposed mental and emotional prison. It keeps us trapped in emotional turmoil, affects our health, and restricts us from moving on with our lives. Until, or unless, we forgive the other person, we hold ourselves in bondage. We may also believe that constantly reminding the other person of their transgression keeps them from repeating it. Not only is this not true, ultimately, it can result in the demise of the relationship. Therefore, an unwillingness to forgive can actually paralyze us from having healthy relationships–both in the present and future.
Forgiveness is a choice. You can continue to live in the pain and bitterness of the past or forgive and live in the joy, freedom, and peace in your present and future.
To Your Relationship Success,
Jesse & Melva
