Quiz #3

  Are there any things that can't be forgiven?

A) yes, things like suicide
B) no
C) unsure
D) if there isn't, there should be

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ANSWER:

B. As difficult as it may seem, all things must be forgiven. Most people have a problem doing this because there is a widely held belief that forgiveness means forgetting or excusing an act; this, of course, is not true.

Forgiveness

 

“Hostility is a potent risk factor for heart disease. When we have deep wounds and hostility becomes an ingrained personality trait, it can become health eroding." Dr Mark Moran in Web MD Medical News.

  • Some people believe they are unable to forgive because it’s almost impossible to forget. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you eradicate the offense from your memory, but that you refuse to focus on the offense, or to use it against the offender.

  • You don’t prove your forgiveness of a child molester by entrusting your children to him. You don’t prove your forgiveness of violent person by continuing to let him beat you or your children.

  • Forgiveness is NOT based on whether the person is worth forgiving.

  • People who forgive are more able to create a great future instead of wasting time and energy on expecting their past to be different from the way it was.

  • Think about the person whom you haven’t forgiven, how do you feel when you see him/her? The evidence of unforgiveness is seen in our irritation and aggravation whenever we are in this person’s presence or we just can’t seem to get along with them.

 

 

Remember: Refusing to forgive by holding on to the anger, resentment and a sense of betrayal can make your own life miserable. A vindictive mind-set creates bitterness and lets the betrayer claim one more victim.