The Importance of Forgiveness?

What is the importance of forgiveness and what does it mean to forgive? We all have our own thoughts and feelings about what it means to forgive and why we should or shouldn’t do it. To gain a better understanding of the importance of forgiveness, we will explore various aspects of forgiveness. Let's begin by clarifying what forgiveness means...

Wikipedia’s definition for Forgiveness is: "The mental, and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution."

Let’s be clear that forgiveness doesn’t mean that we are approving, accepting, dismissing or condoning what someone else did.

Forgiveness is about setting yourself free and you can do that by releasing the past so it no longer has control over your thoughts or the way you feel.

Certainly, there are a wide range of situations that we experience and witness throughout our lives and some are easier to forgive than others. However, I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that Forgiveness is possible in all situations. I can’t say that as a proven fact, I can only say that based on the stories that I’ve heard of or read about. In these stories, people were able to summon the grace and strength they needed to forgive and in many of these stories people forgave what we may perceive as something that was truly unforgivable.

With that said, if you have experienced something traumatic in your life it may be best to seek the help of a trusted professional therapist who can assist you in your healing. Otherwise, there are forgiveness exercises that we can practice by ourselves or with close friends to assist us in healing the emotions and memories captured within us from past experiences.

Reconciliation can happen thru forgiveness but it is important to understand that we do not need to involve the other person, especially if there is a chance that they won’t be receptive. However, you may find that reconciliation happens naturally once you have set yourself free thru forgiveness.

As forgiveness takes place within your heart, you may receive inspired thoughts and ideas of ways to initiate reconciliation. You may even find that once you shift your emotional energy around the other person thru forgiveness, they actually initiate reconciliation because whether they are conscious of it or not, they may feel the shift in your energy. Don’t be attached to reconciliation happening but if it does, you have something to be grateful for.

Understanding the importance of forgiveness can come thru exploring the effects of unforgiveness. For instance, when we hold a grudge or harbor unforgiveness against someone or in regards to something that happened, we are jeopardizing our own health.

Un-forgiveness creates energies such as anger, judgment, criticism, resentment, etc. and these harbored emotions are like toxins in the body which create stress and can even lead to illness and perhaps in extreme cases, even disease. These emotions affect us on all levels: mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, these underlying emotions can even affect our day to day experiences and our interactions with people. Also, when we are seemingly stuck in a place of un-forgiveness we put a kink in our ability to feel our connection to the divine or to our higher self and we may even begin to feel “lost” in our life, losing sight of what our passions are and what brings us joy.

Now let's explore the importance of forgiveness by looking at some of the benefits that we can experience thru giving forgiveness. It would be impossible to list all of the benefits here but here are some of them:

• Stronger intuitive insight and a deepened experience of spiritual connection

• Experience thoughts and emotions that feel good, more often

• Higher level of energy and a better quality of sleep

• Increased happiness and peacefulness

• Happier, healthier relationships

• Greater health and less stress

• Clearer Thinking

The bottom line? The importance of forgiveness has everything to do with your own well being. Thru forgiveness you literally set yourself free. How? When forgiveness takes place, we naturally release the disturbing thoughts and emotions that drain our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being. The result is a greater level of health and happiness in addition to the endless benefits that forgiveness brings. Forgiveness can release us from the past and assist us in overcoming resentment or regrets that we may have.

While giving forgiveness may not always be easy, it is always worth it. Now that we have explored the importance of forgiveness, perhaps you would like some assistance in learning how to forgive? These forgiveness steps will assist you not only in forgiving others but also in forgiving yourself for regrets that you may have.

Whether you are forgiving others or yourself, it is my hope that you will choose to give yourself the gift of forgiveness today!

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