An Attitude of Forgiveness

In my life time I have experience wrongs several times. One thing I learned and I hope I learned it well because I do not want to face bad hurts again. It is absolutely necessary to learn to forgive. I have seen it in my self and in others when there is a hurt, real or perceived and a person does not forgive, it hurt them deeply, not the offender. The offender who hurt them may not even know or understand the hurt they caused. It is real to the person hurt, perceived or real. It is real to them. The attitude of an unforgiving spirit will take the life out of a person. They can become so bitter and that seems all they can focus on is the hurt. Many times there is nothing an offender can even do. Can you take back a harsh word? Can you make it unsaid? You can't, there is nothing you can do. Sometimes even a sorry aggravates the hurt person even worse. Perhaps there are wrongs that can be righted, if you stole something you can return it. You can give it back or replace it. But if it is actions or spoken words, you cannot take them back. The person injured can carry the hurt for years and no one but they alone can fix the issue. It is called forgiving. it doesn't release the person that did the wrong, they may still have to answer to God for their words or deed. They still owe a debt. But the person by forgiving releases their own soul to be healed. It is so important, I consider it a core value. It is not necessary for the offender to do anything for healing to begin. The offender doesn't have to say he is sorry for healing to begin. He doesn't have to pay what ever debt is owed for healing to begin. Healing begins when the hurt person forgives. Sometimes people will get hung up on a hurt and it like stops growth. That attitude of forgiveness is absolutely necessary to have a good life.  It doesn't mean you have to be a Christian to forgive. In fact you cannot be a Christian if you have aught that you have not forgiven. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  Matthew 6:14-15  I really believe it is law of living well, to be able to forgive. I doubt there is a person alive that has not hurt or offended someone in someway. Or on the other side of the issue, I believe everyone alive has been hurt by someone somewhere.  To have a good quality of life it is absolutely necessary to be able to forgive. An offender can go through life and not realize the hurt they have caused, but that is OK,  because the hurt person can heal when they forgive the offense or debt owed them.  It requires no action on the part of the offender to fix ones soul. I have seen people hold on to a grudge for thirty years or even more and the only one hurt is themselves. To forgive is a core value for living.  God Bless, LVZ.