Update: Are you struggling with trauma, and the levels of emotions that come with that? Below is a very helpful video to give insight into the power of forgiveness. It also give you permission to feel your feelings, validates your emotional responses, and lets you know that forgiveness does not mean putting yourself back into the same situation. You can move on with your life and you can break free. There is hope for you.
To experience the power of forgiveness, please watch the video!
Today we are talking about the wonderful power of forgiveness. We will be discussing the following topics and hope you find this information helpful.
- What is forgiveness and why is it important?
- How do you forgive someone who has hurt you?
- How to find the power to forgive
- How do you forgive someone who will never ask or care?
- Why should I forgive myself?
- Is there hope for me?
- How to ask for forgiveness from someone you have hurt?
- Forgiveness of sins
- How to ask God to forgive you
- Forgiveness prayer
Most of us have experienced both ends of forgiveness, the forgiving and the being forgiven. We might sometimes hover in the in between of forgiving and choosing to hold on to the hurt. Sometime the pain that is at first our enemy can become our friend, and letting go might leave us feeling like we have lost something important. The power of forgiveness can bring freedom and life to the forgiver and the forgiven!
Somehow that pain has become a familiar face that keeps us from going to sleep and greets us with the morning light. A friend and an enemy at the same time. And even though we know that it is causing us harm, letting go can be very hard.
Maybe we feel that what someone has done to hurt us does not deserve to be forgiven, so we continue to punish ourselves with the pain of holding onto bitterness. Like somehow our pain will be noticed and the person who has hurt us will hurt too. Maybe they will even ask us to forgive them and set everything right. In the long run, this does not punish the offender. The damage done is only to ourselves. It hurts our health, our relationships, our motivation, and pretty much puts a damper on everything we used to love.
Forgiving does not mean giving that person the power to hurt us over and over again. In a healthy relationship grace can be given and the relationship can thrive. Sometimes though, forgiving someone means letting go because they might hurt you over and over again. If you are in this type of relationship, please ask for help. Ask someone you love and trust to help you find the people who can help you. Consider connecting to a church in your area when you scroll to the bottom of this article.
What is forgiveness and why is it important?
Forgiveness is a healing balm. It is something that we crave because it restores our relationships, our self worth, and allows us to feel joy and purpose. It gives our lives meaning once again. It lifts the weight of guilt. It allows us to take a deep breath once again.
When we have done something wrong, something to hurt another person or something that is against what we know is right, it weighs heavily on our conscience. It can keep us up at night and cause us to feel depressed, anxious, and worthless. It can kill our motivation and zest for life. Sometimes it can cause us to lose our relationships, our jobs, our happiness, and even our freedom.
When we have been wronged by someone else and can’t forgive them, we can lose our health, our contentment, our purpose, and even our lives as we know them. It is important to forgive. Not so much for the other person, but for ourselves.
How do you forgive someone who has hurt you?
You have to make the choice to forgive. Forgiveness is up to you. The thing is, most of us don’t have the ability to forgive on our own power. We are human. Forgiveness requires help from the Divine.
Many people turn to self for that power. Go inward. Find the light inside of you. Focus on this moment. There is a problem with that scenario. The human spirit is trying to become divine. We long for the divine. We were created with longing for the divine.
How to find the power to forgive
However, there is only one true and living divine power. And that is God. The one true God who sent his only son, Jesus Christ to die in our place so that we can have a relationship with God. He did this in order to pay the price for our sins. For the things we have done wrong. Jesus died, rose from the grave and now lives so that we can also live forever. God offers us the absolutely free gift of forgiveness when we believe that Jesus is God’s son, that he died for our sins, that he rose from the dead, and ask Him to forgive us and become the boss of our lives.
How do you forgive someone who will never ask or care?
You can only forgive as you have received forgiveness. Perhaps you are in the process figuring out how you forgive someone who will never ask or care. Most of us have walked in your shoes. We have given someone too much power in our lives. That person has done something to hurt us, and never owns up to it. Never asks for forgiveness. I have been there. I allowed someone too much power and it was to my detriment.
Because I had given him so much power in my life, I allowed his untrue words to take hold. They began to drown out what I knew to be true about myself and depression set in. Self doubt set in. My joy was dampened. I was hurt and angry. I am human and my humanity took over.
I did not want anything bad for him. I just wanted my life back. The life I had before the conversation. I call it a conversation, but it was really him yelling at me. Nothing he said was true. Not one word. But those words held damaging power.
I realized that I was allowing his words, his opinion, his breakdown – whatever it was – to define my past and my future. I knew that the only way for me to break the hold he had on my life was to forgive him. Once and for all. I had to stop replaying those words and break the cycle.
It was only after a few months of working through this problem that I began to let go of the hurt. He has never asked and will never ask for forgiveness. He is most likely unaware that he even hurt me. So how was I able to forgive him?
I asked God to take this burden and to help me say the words. I forgave him with God’s help. I forgave him because God has forgiven me. When I asked Jesus to forgive me, God forgot my sins, past , present and future. It is now my goal to show Him how much I love Him by doing what is right and good. It is only by His grace and mercy that my life is filled with joy and the weight of hurt and guilt has been lifted.
Why should I forgive myself?
You need to forgive yourself so that you can be all that were created to be. God does not intend for you to just exist under the weight of unforgiveness. He created you to thrive. He wants to have a relationship with you because He loves you. He loves you!
Sometimes we can’t see the way to forgive ourselves. Perhaps you are struggling to feel worthy of being forgiven for something, or many things, you have done wrong. Let me tell you that you are not alone. In fact, you are exactly the same as the rest of us. We have all done things, many things, that make us feel guilty, worthless, unlovable, and unforgivable. If you would like to find out how you can be forgiven, please watch the video below.
If you live your whole life and can’t forgive yourself, you won’t be able to forgive anyone else. Your life could become a wasteland of guilt, despair, depression, emptiness, and loss. If you find yourself falling into any of these categories, please seek medical help. Your doctor may want to talk to you about medication and /or therapies that can help you feel yourself again. Please reach out someone who loves you. If you ever have thoughts of self harm, please call the number below.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Is there hope for me?
There is hope for you. You can find healing, forgiveness, and experience joy and great purpose and meaning in your life. Ask Jesus to forgive you. He will then live within you. He will help you forgive yourself and will give you joy, peace, and purpose. Your life will take on a whole new meaning. You will become a brand new person.
I wish I could express to you how much you need Jesus. We all need him. Watch the video below to find out how you can experience the complete joy of being forgiven by the true and living God who loves you more than you can understand.
Your hopelessness will be replaced by a great hope. Your spirit will soar. As you begin reading your Bible, going to church and connecting with others who follow Christ, your life will take on a brand new meaning. Peace, joy, and light will overtake the struggle, sadness, and darkness you may now be experiencing. Jesus is the hope of the world. There is joy in the Lord. It is for you and it is for me. It Is a free gift to the whole world.
How to ask for forgiveness from someone you have hurt?
Asking forgiveness can be hard. I have found it is easier to ask immediately than to allow the situation to fester. Well, it may not be easier, but it does help to diffuse the situation. As soon as you realize you have hurt someone, offer a heartfelt apology. Don’t repeat the offense.
Don’t repeat the offense? How is that possible? We have to practice self control. We know that the tongue is almost impossible to tame. Words can fly out of our mouths before our brains catch up. Sometimes the words are flying like darts going both direction between two people.
Sometimes the desire to win an argument is more important in the heat of the moment than the feelings of the person on the receiving end of our words. It is so easy to let words fly that we don’t really mean. Things we would never say if we had taken a moment to think.
When you are angry, stop and take three breaths before you speak. This gives you time to calm your mind. It gives you time to let your thoughts cool. It keeps you from speaking before you think.
Forgiveness of sins
Forgiveness of sins is offered to all of us. Only God can forgive sins and offer you eternal life in Heaven. It doesn’t matter what you have done. You can never fall farther from God than anyone else. His grace and mercy can reach you no matter where you are. You don’t have to clean up your life before asking God to forgive you. He will clean up your life for you!
How to ask God to forgive you
Pray the prayer below. God will forgive you and Jesus will come into your heart and help you live your best life! After you pray the prayer, let us know and we will help you with the next steps!
Forgiveness prayer
“Jesus, I don’t know You, and I don’t know what Your plan is for me. But thank you for coming to die in my place. I’m sorry for anything & everything I’ve ever done wrong in my life. I don’t understand how You could ever forgive me, but if You really would, I would like to accept your free gift of grace and complete forgiveness. Please come into my life and take control, and help me trust you completely. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
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