Hebrews 12:15, CEB - Make sure that no one misses
out on God’s grace. Make sure that no root of bitterness grows up that might
cause trouble and pollute many people.
Proverbs 14:30a, NIV – “A heart at peace gives
life to the body…”
Many articles
and books on forgiveness make a moral case for forgiveness. While I agree that forgiveness is high on the
list of morally upright practices, I’m much more interested in talking about
why practicing forgiveness is good for the mental, emotional, relational, spiritual,
and even physical health of the forgiver.
Further, I think people are much more motivated to look at a practice if
they believe they will benefit from it in addition to it being the right thing
to do. Forgiveness is not just something
we should do; it’s a practice we would want to do once we see the benefits.
Let’s start with mental and physical
health. Multiple scientific studies have
found that people who adopt forgiveness as a regular practice have, on average,
lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and better immune response. They have lower stress and physical pain
levels. People who practice forgiveness have
a lower risk for heart attacks, strokes, and even diabetes. Also, people who DON’T forgive tend to have higher
anxiety and higher rates of depression. Learning
to forgive has even helped victims of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder ease their
symptoms. The interesting thing about
this is forgiveness research is still in its early stages and we are constantly
learning more about the physical and mental health benefits of forgiving. But already, one thing is clear; forgiving is
good for your body and mind.
Perhaps the most obvious benefits
of learning to forgive are found in the emotional and relational aspects of our
lives. Forgiveness is an essential practice
in long-term relationships because all of us are going to make mistakes
sometimes. Holding onto offenses saps
our emotional energy and pushes us toward chronic resentment, even if we try to
hide it. We are robbed of potential
happiness and joy to the extent that we can’t find a way to let go of painful
episodes in our past caused by others. Seething
anger from one relationship tends to seep into other relationships, having a
detrimental effect on others who were not even involved in the painful experience. Over the course of a lifetime, living with
unforgiveness can become the “root of bitterness” (from the Hebrews passage
above) that becomes part of one’s identity and makes it hard for others to even
be around such a person. Learning the
art and discipline of forgiveness can prevent such a destiny and bring health
and wholeness to our feelings and relationships.
Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about
the “selfish” benefits of forgiving, but for now, take a few moments to consider
the following questions.
Questions: Have you
ever noticed physical symptoms in your
body (tightness in chest, aches, grinding teeth, etc) that you just knew were
connected to brokenness in the past?
Have your ever known someone whose unresolved bitterness seemed to take
over their personality?
Prayer: Lord, please don’t
allow any “roots of bitterness” to gain a hold in our mind, body, and/or spirit. Teach us your ways of forgiving and motivate
us to put them into practice in our lives and relationships. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people facing a new diagnosis
Song: Taylor wrote
this song in response to hurtful critics. Other than just being fun, it a great
song about moving beyond the hurt of the past
Shake It Off – Taylor Swift
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