Forgiveness

[Forgiveness

Thesis Statement

Forgiveness is the food of spirituality in people's lives and raises the status of the person in the eyes of both God and fellow men.

Introduction

Taking in to account Biblical texts, Jesus lays an immense emphasis on forgiveness. The words of God make it obligatory to practice forgiveness in our lives not only towards friends but to the enemies too. In the world of sins, chaos and conflicts, believers must encourage themselves to forgive and reconcile.

Very often forgiveness is mistaken with weakness and unfairness. One must not forget that to err is to human; to forgive is to God. There is a hidden message in this line. If God can forgive the sinners, why the human beings cannot follow the path of forgiveness? We must forgive others for the sake of Christ and encourage others too. Enright and Worthington proposed a three tiered model of forgiveness. They emphasized that the church, families and the school must be targeted to create awareness about forgiveness. They proposed the program for making the Church as forgiving communities.

Jesus, in the parable of the unforgiving servant, promises that any who does not practice act of forgiveness will surely receive an unspeakable torture (Matthew 18:23-35). In the light of these words, we should forgive for ourselves. In this way, believers will be fair with them and with others as forgiveness blesses the victim with sheer sense of contentment. It unshackles us from the pains of past and gives new hopes for the future.

Experts believe that forgiving the offenders helps us find real peace of mind and body. It is evident form scholarly researches that forgiveness reduces anxiety and brings blood pressure to normal. It also brings coolness and calmness in the nature. One study revealed that the people who forgive others have better sleep hours than those who are not practicing it.

Social scientists believe that in the society, where corruption and injustice prevails everybody is hurt and bears the wounds of social injustice. What really matters how we take it and responds to it. Constructing negative emotions and keep them in will ultimately lead to outburst of anger on a friend or a family member. Forgiveness helps a person to manage anger, so that it must not leak on the loved ones around.

Holding grudges inside may cause a person so absorbed in the past that he cannot enjoy his present. In this situation one curses himself. The life seems to have its meaning, and ultimately frustration and helplessness start to dwell in the victim. The future relationships are also at risk in this situation of chaos and turbulence. Psychotherapists state that if people keep on thinking about their wounds in the past, they are likely to follow them in everything they do in the future. People who are hurt may time to heel but forgiveness can catalyze the process.

The researchers provide different ways to practice forgiveness but no one ever claimed that granting forgiveness is ...