The benefits of forgiveness
Beyond the command to forgive, we should also be aware of the astounding benefits of doing so! There are so many studies that examine and quantify the positive effects of forgiveness on health and relationships. Here are just a few:
Forgiveness improves our health and overall wellness
The health impacts of forgiveness are better than any miracle medicine! With forgiveness, there is a lower risk of heart attack, lower depression and anxiety, and lower risk of major psychiatric disorders – among many other positive outcomes.
Simply put, forgiving leads to better living. One study found that children who forgive even do better academically! And Johns Hopkins finds forgiveness leads to more satisfaction in life overall.
Forgiveness helps our relationships
Forgiveness also holds special power in relationships. It’s a way of dislodging ourselves from hurt, resentment, or getting even – all of which are relationships killers. It resets a problem that’s been imprisoning us. Again, it sets us free.
Perhaps a friend betrayed a confidence or your spouse humiliated you in public. Those are hard things. We do get to say “ouch.” We can call out the offense. But withholding forgiveness keeps us in a place of being wounded. Over time, that can lead to:
- Staying stuck in a victim mentality
- Feeling superior (I would never do what they did)
- Feeling bitter
- Retaliating (I want them to hurt, too)
Forgiveness opens up the opposite possibilities! If navigated with goodwill and reciprocated with steps to restore trust, forgiveness can be a powerful glue that builds intimacy and strengthens a marriage or friendship bond into something much stronger than it was before.
Thankfully, we don’t have to do this forgiveness thing alone! One researcher looked at studies published in peer-reviewed journals between – get this – 1872 and 2010 and found that, statistically, people of faith are much better forgivers.
I’m sure one reason why is that God doesn’t just command us to forgive – He helps us to do so.
Check back next week to find out how.
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