Inspiring stories of forgiveness and redemption
We all make mistakes. Whether it's tricking your best friend, stealing someone's boyfriend, or telling a lie that has the potential to ruin lives or relationships, it hurts and can cause more damage than you could possibly imagine. Some people may react by holding onto these mistakes forever and refusing to let them go while others may choose to forgive and move on from their past actions. Hopefully there are enough stories of forgiveness in this article for everyone to find inspiration from. As for myself, I am proud to say that I have forgiven my parents for anything they did wrong in the past because I know they didn't mean any harm (aside from the time my mom covered me with scalding coffee). I also know that they are going to experience heaven and only live out their final days in a perfect, peaceful existence.
My parents told me I was going to hell when I was a child which for some reason made me hate God. When I finally grew up and got to understand the bigger picture of things, I took my love for God and hatred for my parents into a relationship with Christ myself. Now, I pray that they are both saved in heaven (even though they haven't been doing much listening lately) and that by choosing forgiveness over anger or hatred, we can learn to love people more deeply than any other way.
This is especially important in this day of social media, where the internet has made it possible for a crazy person to find out you're a virgin or an atheist. Forgiveness is always going to be the best course of action. Were it not, we would have no way to forgive ourselves for our own mistakes.
I believe forgiveness was one of the greatest gifts God gave us because it keeps us from falling into desperation and hopelessness when we are wronged by others (as well as ourselves). I have no doubt that if we are not forgiving, those moments when we feel like our whole world will end are going to eat away at our very souls until nothing remains.
I believe true forgiveness, however, only happens when we let go of what others have done to us and we begin to love them just the same. We can forgive them and still treat them with respect by not revealing all of our dirty laundry to the public or by not telling everyone.
Should you choose to forgive someone, I would recommend that you wait until they have apologized for their mistakes and are willing to make amends. This is because forgiving someone you don't even know is very hard. It may even be easier if you actually know the person but still find it hard to forgive because your relationship with that person has been damaged so much. Did I mention that forgiveness is hard?
There is also something to be said about forgiveness and timing. For example, it makes no sense at all to forgive someone from the past or someone you never even met in person when they are apologizing in the present. It's a little like breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend mid-sentence because it'll be awkward if you shouldn't have broken up with them anyway.
It can also be useful to forgive others before they are dead. I have heard stories of people being forgiven after their death and given a chance to make amends with the person who wronged them in life. In this case, forgiveness is for those who can't get over their regrets and feel that God has failed them by not choosing to forgive them and forget the past. I personally believe that if people place their trust in God, He has no problem letting them go and making up for any mistakes they made in life.[1]
Obviously, forgiveness is vital to our well-being as human beings on this earth. In fact, without forgiveness, we might as well give up on living because everything will be ruined. But what about those who are unable to forgive themselves? Many people who have committed crimes against others or against society are unable to forgive themselves despite being forgiven by someone else.
One way that I personally find forgiveness is by putting the person who hurt me in my shoes. I try to imagine what it would be like if I committed the same crime against him/her and then ask myself if they should still love me after what I did. If that doesn't work, then I think about how he/she is going to deal with God and how God will treat them. I believe if God can forgive the worst of sinners that have committed even the worst of crimes, He will not hold my mistakes against me.
I have often heard it said that those who commit crimes against others and society cannot be forgiven because they were never really sorry about what they did. They weren't able to inflict pain on others without thinking about the consequences. Maybe this is true for some people, but I'm sure there are also cases when people had no choice but to do what they did based on the circumstances of their lives. I think we should at least give them a chance and try to think about judging them too harshly. After all, it's way too easy to ignore the past and pretend like it never happened.
One time I came across an online story about a person who had been sexually abused as a child. Years later, the abuse resurfaced and became too much to bear. At the advice of his therapist, he decided to forgive his abuser in order to move on with his life. The moment he forgave his abuser was the moment he began to heal from the conscience that was eating away at him for so long.
This is just one story, but I think it speaks volumes about how forgiveness can literally be a lifesaver when coming from personal experience. It's not always easy, which is why I think it makes sense to give forgiveness a chance when you can.
There is a Christian saying that goes like this, "forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." I think this saying speaks for itself.
Sincerely,
I'm Madison M.
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Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post about forgiveness. I think it's a topic that everyone should consider because forgiveness is vital to our very being and can make the difference between life and death. On the other hand, if you are still angry at someone, don't let them ruin your life. Even though they may have done something wrong to you, you are not obligated to either forgive or forget what happened in the past. Hopefully they will learn how to be more responsible in the future so they don't hurt others again. Now it's time for me to go write my next blog post... :)
"Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up.