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Many see forgiveness as a favour generously granted by an injured party to one who caused hurt or harm.
Fred Luskin, author of Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness, argues based on extensive research, that forgiveness is a gift that you give to yourself.
More than the offending party deserves forgiveness, you deserve to forgive.
The process of forgiveness is not a luxury, but a necessary experience that drives away depression, stress and anger that resulted from that specific negative experience.
As important as it is to remember, it is just as important to be able to forget.
Our lives are often cluttered with all kinds of destructive memories and resentments. And if our memories ‘archive’ every time someone slights us, life becomes unbearable.
With forgiveness comes healing and self-confidence. Our mental wellbeing requires that we practice the art of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not a weakness. Forgiveness is not denying or lessening the wrong that was done to us. Rather, forgiveness is an effective process of self-empowerment that allows us to overcome the sense of helplessness that resulted from a negative experience. It is letting go of some of the pain, and moving on to a better place.
In the words of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks “Forgiveness is the only way to live with the past without being held prisoner by the past”