“Peter, coming to him, said, 'Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven?'
Jesus said to him: 'I don't tell you until seven; but up to seventy times seven'.” (Matthew 18:21-22)
And how many times will I have to be compassionate to my brothers?
Up to seventy times seven, every day of the week, for every week of the year, and for every year of your life, preferably.
Exaggerations aside, forgiveness and compassion can never be too much. By the way, there is no way to talk about compassion without mentioning forgiveness.
Yes, that forgiveness for the person who hurt us the most in life and that is difficult to grant. This forgiveness is as necessary as it is healing. Healing and liberating.
There are people who decide never to forgive, or believe it is impossible. However, hurts and resentments only bring suffering, no matter how much we have put the situation in deep oblivion. Somewhere in our being, the issue is latent and can only be completely cleared if we bring the energy of forgiveness. This forgiveness can be offered in thought. We can make an effort to understand each other's difficulties, letting go, releasing, letting go.
I know it's not as simple as it may seem, but it's much more possible than you might think.
In the same way, in addition to this forgiveness related to the difficult issues that we have gone through throughout life and that have caused us a deep heartache, we need to practice, almost daily, forgiveness for those small disappointments.
You know that nasty comment? That criticism that looks like a pinprick? And that indifference to his great achievement?
Well, these small acts also need our forgiveness. Even if the offense or aggression is on a lighter level, accumulating these simple resentments can equally be harmful to our health and our relationships.
Being aware of these attitudes, which unfortunately are part of human life, helps us to avoid toxic relationships and prevents us from entering a vicious cycle of rebutting comments, criticism and the most diverse aggressions.
But be careful: when we talk about forgiveness, we need to get away from the idea of ​​revenge or revenge disguised as justice:
“I can even forgive, but at the first opportunity I will speak.”
“Who are you thinking you're dealing with?”
“I don’t take any insults home!”
"I don't care, nowadays I delete it from my social networks."
“Oh! Couldn't you do that favor? I won't be able to help either."
Forgiving and wanting revenge or "giving back" is not forgiving. Knowing how to reveal, trying to understand, that, yes, brings us closer to forgiveness.
Forgiveness has always been and always will be one of the essential ingredients for human coexistence. At the most diverse levels, it proves necessary for us to be able to relate. Otherwise, the wear and tear of relationships will be inevitable. When we become aware of the need for forgiveness, we can become aware of how healthy a relationship is and how worthwhile it is to maintain. There will be situations in which you can understand the need for forgiveness and, at the same time, realize that a certain person is no longer sustainable in your life. You can forgive her and let her go.
Remember: the fact of forgiving, as well as acceptance, does not mean taking the other person's attitude as correct, it's just understanding, and not necessarily supporting. It's not judging, it's letting go, it's accepting the person as they can be.
You may also like
- Understand if you are obligated to forgive someone else
- Find a way to let go of hurt and resentment
- Practice the best way to apologize
Have no doubt that forgiveness is the best thing you can do to reset your relationships, to make everything right, everything in peace. This forgiveness takes away a weight you don't even know you carry. So, for those most difficult situations and people, or even for those ironies and nudges we receive throughout the day, the best ingredient will be forgiveness.
