There are some things we find easy to forgive. When a baby wets on top of us, we can forgive. When the puppy reduces a magazine to shredded paper, we can forgive. But when other people who “should know better” are involved, we have trouble forgiving. And there is a reason for this.
Forgiveness goes against our basic nature. The Bible vividly tells us that we are selfish because we choose to be selfish. Therefore, forgiveness in itself is an act of true courage, and it is also an essential part of love. As they say, “if we can’t forgive, we can’t love.”
It has been said that there are two great tragedies in this life. The first is not accepting God’s forgiveness for the harm we have caused him. In one case, 9/11 cites the effect of an inhumane act of terrorism. As a result, several people slowly died on the busy streets of New York. Although it is difficult to forgive those who have done such an act, but if we recognize God’s forgiveness in our soul for all the small and big mistakes we made, we can forgive even those who hurt us the most. The facts about 9/11 not only open our eyes and minds, but also solidify the essence of forgiveness over pride.
The second great tragedy in life is not forgiving others for the damage they caused us. If a friend or a brother hurt us, let’s free ourselves from the slavery of grudges. Forgiving a friend is not a sign of weakness, but it is a sign of recognizing that as humans we are not perfect.
What is forgiveness?
What do we mean when we say “you are forgiven”? It may be helpful to first notice what forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not indifference. Saying “let’s forget it” is not dealing with the problem. It is temporarily ignoring the problem.
Forgiving is also not agreeing with evil. Some people think that saying “I forgive you” really means “what you did was right, it wasn’t wrong.” But that is not the case. Forgiveness simply means that we are freeing ourselves from the chains of unforgiveness. That means we have no rights over the other person. In other words, we free ourselves from the bondage of bitterness and resentment.
We can only forgive in one way; letting go of our pride It is pride that stands in the way of forgiveness. That is why, especially in sensitive matters when we have been hurt to the core, we cannot forgive without acknowledging imperfections and giving up pride.