One of the truest tests of personal character is found in our willingness to forgive those who have wronged us.
Depending upon the depth of the injustice we’ve suffered, it can seem nearly impossible.
However, those who find the strength and humility to genuinely let go of past hurts and to move forward in their lives, gain something of immense value.
One reason forgiveness can be so difficult to give is that anger and resentment are a part of human nature.
Think of how many movie and television plots are stories that are based in revenge.
Even when it’s one psychopath taking revenge on another psychopath, payback can appear pretty satisfying.
Forgiveness is often portrayed or perceived as weakness.
But those who have found the occasion to really forgive someone understand that it requires more strength than most people are willing to exert.
Edwin Hubbell Chapin put it like this:
“Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge, and dares to forgive an injury.”
Those who extend forgiveness don’t necessarily do it to cause the offender to change.
Instead, they give themselves permission to change, to find peace and to heal while simultaneously removing the power that the other person has held over their lives.
In this sense, forgiveness is a gift that we give ourselves.
And those on the receiving end of unconditional forgiveness can also vouch for its healing power.
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