Healing - Moving Forward Through Forgiveness

What is forgiveness? What is it all about? Forgiveness can mean different things to different people. For many, forgiveness is the act of repaying or amending one's kindness and love to a former partner after a breakup. Forgiveness is an act that can help us move on with our lives and regain our self-confidence.


Description: Forgiveness is an act of releasing anger and pain so that one can move on with his or her life. It is also described as the opposite of retribution, because forgiveness is not the same as revenge. Forgiveness is an act by which we let go of the power to punish ourselves and/or others for our wrongdoings. Forgiveness is often accompanied by an expression of faith and hope that things will get better, especially after the hurt has been healed.

Who can forgive others? Those whom you sincerely want to forgive. The feeling of resentment, anger, or pain will be mitigated if you are able to let go of the negative feelings you are feeling. When you let go and accept responsibility for your actions, you will then be in a position to forgive others for whatever hurt they caused you.

Why do we need to let go of anger? There are many instances when we are affected by the actions of another. We may have had an unsettling experience, had a fight with our significant other, or been the target of some sort of abuse. When we allow these things to define us as we carry those bad experiences around in our hearts, we begin to build resentment toward the individuals who caused us pain and suffering. This will lead us to harbor feelings of anger, even when there is no reason for it and the situation would easily be resolved.

When you choose to forgive, you are choosing to forget about the hurts that were caused by the actions of others. If you truly believe in forgiveness, you will notice a great change in your attitude and relationship with others. You will become more compassionate and understanding. You will also be more likely to express your gratitude when someone gives you credit for something you have done that was positive.

If you are looking for a way to make forgiveness more personal, you can start by asking God for forgiveness. Ask Him to forgive you for all your past sins. Repentance is essential for forgiveness to really work. Without pardon, resentment will be part of your life because you will carry around the pain and resentments from your past sins.

While we do not believe that God is interested in our negative emotions towards others, He does want us to experience joy, peace, love and happiness. God is just looking for a way for us to experience these things with love and passion. God wants us to forgive those who have wronged us so we can enjoy a relationship with them that is built on love, peace and harmony.

If you want to have the best chance to reconcile with an offending spouse or offender, forgiveness is essential. There is no doubt that forgiveness will involve both the offender and the offended party. The offender is going to have a difficult time forgiving themselves while at the same time, the offended party may find it very hard to forgive the offender. When one party is forgiving another party for their past mistakes, they have crossed the line. However, if you are willing to take the time and adjust to God's demands, forgiveness will happen.

Many people confuse forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness is not forgetting, it is adjusting to God's demand that we forgive another person when they have hurt us. Forgiving someone who has abused you can be very difficult but it can be done. You must be willing to let go of the anger, bitterness and the hurts so you can forgive.

As you become more mature and understand more about forgiveness, you will begin to come to realize that you need to forgive others before you can forgive yourself. You are in fact, becoming more whole as a person by forgiving an offending partner or spouse. Remember that forgiveness will always involve some sort of loss or pain but this is all good and positive and indicates that you are truly moving in the direction of healing.


Healing is about letting go of hurts and learning to move forward. With forgiveness, you are also allowing yourself to grow. Forgiveness will not make you a better person, but it will allow you to move forward. So many people go through life not understanding or forgiving those who have caused them great harm, but with forgiveness you will learn to do exactly that.