THE
IMPORTANCE OF FORGIVENESS
It has been mentioned in previous articles that forgiving
someone who has hurt you deeply is difficult, and while that is true, the
importance of forgiveness is vast. Satan does a masterful job of twisting the
importance of forgiveness in ones mind. Often, the one who has been hurt and
needs to extend forgiveness has a difficult time coming to terms with the need
to forgive. Hurt and pain have a way of making the person feel as if forgiving
the one who offended them is a sign of weakness and surrender. As a result,
often forgiveness is not extended. The result of this has enormous consequences
for the person in need of extending forgiveness. The failure to forgive extends
into all areas of a persons life- spiritual, emotional, and physical. In this
article we will examine the importance of forgiveness in each of these areas.
No aspect of ones life is more greatly affected by
un-forgiveness than ones spiritual life. Scripture teaches us that the failure
to forgive someone can have eternal impact. Matthew 6:14-15 states “If
you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not
forgive your sins.” This is a strong statement that provides much insight
into the importance God places on forgiveness. This verse teaches that we must
have our horizontal (person to person) relationships right before our vertical
relationship (God to man) can be. All of us have experienced the effects of what
un-forgiveness does to our walk with the Lord. Failure to extend forgiveness
leads us down a path of stagnation. No longer do we desire to commune with God.
We feel shame and guilt and Satan does his best work during these seasons of
life. If an unforgiving heart goes unchecked there will be an endless supply of
anger, hostility and bitterness. These emotions do not correlate with a
vibrant, intimate relationship with God. Simply put, failure to forgive someone
has enormous implications in relation to our walk with God. If you fail to
extend forgiveness it is not the one who offended you who suffers, but rather
you are continuing to let the offender win by refusing to forgive as God
forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).
Just as our Spiritual life suffers when we fail to extend
forgiveness our emotions take a hit as well. This is why Ephesians 4:31-32
states “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Have you ever
considered the effects un-forgiveness has on your emotions? It is as if the
failure to extend forgiveness, while you want it to negatively affect the one
who offended you, only causes you greater turmoil. This has been proven
scientifically. Studies have shown that failure to forgive leads to anger,
hate, revenge, misguided justice, depression and anxiety. While I am not a
rocket scientist I do not believe anyone desires to experience these emotions,
but recent scientific research on forgiveness clearly shows that a failure to
forgive leads to these emotions and disorders.1 However, long before scientist and
psychologist caught on to the fact that un-forgiveness plays a part in ones
mental health Scripture taught us this. Ephesians 4:31-32 clearly draws a link
between un-forgiveness and bitterness rage, anger, brawling, slander, and every
other form of malice. Again, it is clear, if you want to experience emotional
health, you must be willing to extend forgiveness when someone sins against
you.
Just as there are definite spiritual and emotional
consequences to un-forgiveness there also exists a physical consequence. While
forgiveness research is only an emerging field of scientific study, there have
been several studies which detail the positive effects forgiveness has on ones
physical makeup. Studies have concluded that forgiveness has a correlation with
reducing heart disease, as well as other physical ailments.2,
3
You may have never thought about it in these terms, but what this research
proves is that your unwillingness to extend forgiveness could very well lead to
an early death!
As you can see, forgiveness plays a vital role in your
overall health. Choosing to forgive someone is not simply a small choice that
has little ripple effect. The choice to forgive someone is of enormous
importance. Its effects extend across your life- from your spiritual condition
to potentially determining the number of years you live. Forgiveness must not
be taken lightly.
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