I am sure we’ve all felt the frustration and anger of being wronged or hurt by someone. There are no words to explain the feeling. One can only know if they felt it. All I know is that the more time passes, the brighter that fire inside of your burns and fills you with the desire for vengeance.
It is a truly dangerous state to be in. You really think that you’ll hate someone for the rest of your life. You really think that you are capable of doing whatever it takes to hurt that person back. Until one day, you realize that holding anger only eats you from inside. That it’s simply not worth it…
Because there is something even more powerful than vengeance. Something that is called forgiveness…
Here are 10 reasons why you should forgive even the unforgivable:
1. Forgiveness sets you free. It helps release yourself from the chains of the past and focus on the present moment. It doesn’t erase the past, but rather it helps you look upon it with a calm mind and a compassionate heart. It gives you freedom.
2. It helps you move on with your life. To withhold forgiveness means to give life to anger, sadness, and frustration. To freely give forgiveness to a person who hurt you, on the other hand, means getting yourself out of that prison.
3. Forgiveness is one of the most important journeys in your life. It is the greatest teacher that you will ever have in life. It teaches you to give up your expectations on others and focus on yourself. On your life. Your happiness. Your peace of mind. Your future.
4. It removes the frustration and anger from you. It helps you free yourself from all the buried emotions that have been eating you from the inside. Plotting revenge is painful. It imprisons you. It tortures you. It makes your life a living hell.
5. It means that you are no longer allowing others to control your mind and heart. Not forgiving someone who hurt you but rather thinking of all the possible ways to hurt them means not letting yourself move on. You may have physically cut them off from your life, but in a way, they still control your mind. The anger inside your heart holds you hostage.
6. Holding a grudge is like drinking poison. Harboring resentment is consciously condemning yourself to a life of pain and misery. It never gets easier for you. The more you hate someone for hurting you, the harder it is to start your healing process.
7. Forgiveness is much greater than vengeance. It is a ray of sunshine amidst the darkness. It’s really the best thing you can do for yourself. I know you are hurt and I know you are desperate… But if you want to find your happiness and start all over again, you have to forgive. Not for their sake, but for yours.
8. It helps you start a new chapter in life. Once you decide to be the bigger person and forgive the ones that hurt you, you turn over a new leaf and the healing can finally begin. This is the start of a new journey. A metanoia that opens your eyes and helps you realize how important self-care actually is.
9. It teaches you that it’s not the same as reconciliation. You can forgive but it doesn’t mean that you will let that person back into your life. Forgiveness isn’t reconciliation. It is freeing ourselves from the excruciating pain of hating someone without getting back at them.
10. Forgiveness releases you from the victim mentality. I know it seems easier to be on that side of the spectrum and always complain about anything and everything, but choosing that state of mind over a rational one is madness. At the end of the day, it is your decision. You can forgive and move on or let anger consume you and spend the rest of your life in misery.
So, what will it be?
