Withholding Forgiveness Can Be Toxic to Your Health

I truly believe that if you live long enough you will be given multiple opportunities to forgive many people in your life. As the years have passed, there have been many times that I have been given that choice, to forgive and move on, or not to forgive and continue holding onto past hurts and grudges. Sometimes the offense was something pretty insignificant other times it was a life changing event, you know the ones where it is hard to even breathe. There were times when I seized the opportunity to forgive quickly and sometimes I did not, it took a while. Give yourself some grace, forgiveness takes time, and some days it raises its ugly head again, on those days I remember scripture that says we are forgiven at the same measure as we forgive others. That’s a sobering thought and one that motivates me to forgive.

Betrayal, lies, and deception, will all eventually be brought to light and after the shock of it all subsides, then the process of forgiveness can begin. Speaking of the light, I truly believe the Lord gives me the freedom to forgive and move on, without divine intervention (strength) I would hold onto resentment, anger and vengeance, trying desperately to make the other person pay for the offense. Forgiveness brings freedom from all of that.

Holding onto grudges, seeking vengeance, withholding forgiveness, all can have a toxic effect on your mental health, but also on your physical health. Most people know that this scenario can wreck you mentally, as it consumes your every waking thought, and robs you of sleep. But how does withholding forgiveness effect your physically?

First let’s look at one definition of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the act of consciously deciding to let go of resentment or vengeance toward another person or entity that has harmed you in some way (whether or not they are actually deserving of that forgiveness). I was tracking that definition, until the very last sentence, whether or not they are actually deserving of that forgives. That request is truly difficult, but it is the key to true forgiveness. We do not have the right to decide if a person deserves it or not, that’s not our job, ours is to forgive.

If you harbor ill feelings toward someone for a period of time you are risking severe health consequences not to mention losing your joy and missing out on abundant life. With that being said, forgiveness does not require you to be best friends with someone who has hurt you deeply, boundaries may be necessary and maybe even required.

According to an article written by a John Hopkins Expert on the John Hopkins Medicine website (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_connections/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it) researchers have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health. The act of forgiveness can lower the risk of heart attack, improve cholesterol levels, and sleep, reduce pain, blood pressure and levels of anxiety, depression and stress (which can compromise your immune system and lead to chronic disease). So you see in reality forgiving others is really a gift to yourself.

Forgive others, ask for forgiveness, and forgive yourself so that you may live a healthy, abundant, joyful life.

See you in the gym!