Nearly everyone has had their feelings hurt by someone’s actions in life. In any relationship, whether it involves friends, spouses or family members, people offend each other.
In such instances, there are always lasting feelings of anger, bitterness or even vengeance. But people should not burden themselves by carrying such feelings around.
Rather, we should learn to forgive and focus on the more positive aspects of life.
Many people, however, dwell on the hurtful aspect and hold grudges, resentment, and vengeful and hostile thoughts. In the end, relationships break apart. Forgiving and being forgiven are one, they cannot be separated. They are key to establishing solid relationships.
Bitterness is the number one relationship killer. Many people find it difficult to forgive because they harbour bitter thoughts.
Despite repeated beggings for forgiveness, those who are wronged stubbornly hold on to bitter thoughts and refuse to forgive.
This is self destructive. The wrong that is done to us can take ownership of our minds and hearts. In a very real way, resentment allows another to own part of you. Resentment can become an obsession, stealing your joy and ability to see clearly. Because you will be at war with others, you cannot be at peace with yourself.
Bitterness is an acid that hurts the object in which it is stored more than the object on which it is poured.
In real life today, there are so many people who cannot forgive themselves and they allow their past to get the best out of them. When you don’t forgive yourself you are your own enemy; you bring yourself down each minute you try to get out of the shell.
The mistakes and blunders you make in life are needful for they mold your character. The best that you can do in life is to refuse to allow the past to be the sole determinant of life’s course. There are people who fail to pardon themselves and in the end commit suicide. Others become total failures in everything they aspire to do.
It is important to let go of the past, but not in the sense of forgetting what happened or disconnecting yourself from pain. Let’s allow forgiveness to flow in us and release ourselves from negative judgments. Being able to forgive and let go of past hurts is a critical tool for every relationship.
To save our relationships let us learn to forgive.
