The Power of Forgiveness
Most of us will know the case where you feel angry because someone has wronged you and you suffer from the consequences. There might be thoughts like “Why me?” “How could they have done this?” “It’s not fair!” or even “I want revenge!”
"Forgiving a person who has wronged you is never easy, but dwelling on those events and reliving them over and over can fill your mind with negative thoughts and suppressed anger"
Excerpt from The Power of Forgiveness
Doing little things in daily life is one approach to become more at ease with forgiveness. Often people do us wrong with things that are not personal like cutting a line. It’s important to notice that the act was not intentionally directed at us!
Sometimes people do us wrong intentionally though and it can help to recall a time when you treated someone harshly and were forgiven.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting! However, the act of forgiveness is healing, it means you put down the burden you carry. It can be very difficult in some situations though where serious harm was caused. In such instances a person might benefit from professional help in order to prevent suffering from the traumatic experience for the rest of their life.
Participation question:
- What kind of thoughts are going through your mind when someone wronged you and you have to bear the consequences of it?
- How are you usually dealing with such thoughts and what helps you to find peace again?
- What helps you to forgive yourself?
Helpful Videos:
Helpful Resources:
Forgiveness: Your health depends on it
Seeking Help
Mental stress can cause us not to be able to see the good things in life and lead to excessive rumination or worries which can result in serious health problems. If you have serious, long-term problems with negative thinking and feeling depressed, see your doctor or talk to a therapist if they are related to any mental challenges.
Are you looking for a therapist? 7 Cups has online, certified therapists with a paid option. For more information on what happens in online therapy at 7 Cups, Read Lisa’s (a therapist and director of therapy) explanation
https://www.7cups.com/forum/therapy/General_2432/WeveLaunchedTalkTherapyon7Cups_319430/
To apply for 7 Cups online therapy, click on this link (must be logged into member account) https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1
It has been several years now since an incident happened, all my family on my wife’s side accused me of something that was a total lie. They called the cops, came to our house from out of state to cause trouble and at the same time my father in law passed away and instead of the incoming preacher leaving us be as the church told us multiple times we could stay until we moved or died, liked us off property with no where to go or anywhere to put our stuff. Even after repeated pleading, no one would tell me nothing for why all this was happening. After things settled all anyone would say was it was all taken too far. No one has ever pretended to apologize and wondered why I was not getting over it. Everyone I ever learned to trust turned on me for no reason that I know of. I say all of this because everyone I know tells me the same thing, just get over it. It has caused me a nurvis breakdown and I am just supposed to get over it, pretend it didn’t happen and just go on in life. With the help of medication, God and therapy, I am on my way to forgiveness but is a long hard battle for me.