Forgiveness as a balm to our wounds

It is often said that “to err is human and to forgive is divine”, “to forgive means to let go of wrongs, offence done against you at one time or the other.”
According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, forgiveness is the act of forgiving somebody; willingness to forgive somebody. Sometimes, we need to let go certain grudges and pains we habour against someone.
“Most times we tend to hold a grudge against someone that at the end, it hurts us more than we can ever imagine.  We forget that holding grudge is another form of a disease which is detrimental to our health. I have been in that situation before and I must tell you that forgiveness goes a long way in playing a positive role in our lives. It relieves one a lot of stress and worries,” Adesodun Gbenga Adewusi, a civil servant, said.
Forgiveness is a powerful antidote that will totally re-energize you. It is like an exercise in compassion. It is a process, it requires you to make decision, and the conscious decision is followed by an act of will. In the process, you will be able to convert your sufferings into psychological and spiritual growth.
Forgiveness is an honourable process, because it replaces wrong doing with goodness. It creates benevolence through good will and generosity. It is hard to imagine putting aside anger or revenge and replacing them with the gift of love and mercy immediately. Yet some people do. Let us learn how to forgive, to bury the hatchet and let the sleeping dog lie, as for nothing  good comes out of revenge, rather it complicates the issue the more.
Aisha Yazeed, an educationist, says, “I used to think that by not forgiving my offenders they would suffer. I realise that I was the one suffering.When I finally understood the power of forgiveness, it was truly relieving, a kind of balm. I discovered that I have a lot more freedom, feel happier and focused.I realized that forgiveness is a balm to our wounds. Sometimes the person you are holding grudges against is even free of stress and goes about a normal life. While you are busy planning revenge, the other the person is less bothered as life goes on for that person. So, why should I go about with a heart full of revenge and grudge?”
Have you noticed that the word forgiveness is a imbeded with the word give? By forgiving, we give ourselves a gift;we choose to let go of the past,  that by doing so we will make a better life in the future. It is said that everything in life happens for a purpose even though sometimes the circumstances are so painful that reasoning seems out of the question.
Lanre Olaitan, a businessman, says “forgiveness is divine. If God can forgive us our numerous sins when we offend him, why can’t we do same to our fellow beings? I know there is this ego thing most of us humans have which makes it very difficult for us to easily forgive people who might have wronged us. We fail to ask ourselves one simple question. If we find it difficult to forgive people how do we then go before God and ask for forgiveness? We often forget that we are mortal and nothing. When we forgive, it makes us more humble and even gain the blessings of God. For me I believe that we should do to others what we want them to do to us. As they say to err human and to forgive is divine. We should all learn to forgive and let go of the hate and vengeance in us.”
We shouldn’t allow the pain of the past to become a permanent crutch in our life. Realise that it is your responsibility to heal yourself. Nobody can do it for us. By not forgiving saps your energy and may even make you ill, it is an energy vampire. Forgiveness heals your body and eliminates your toxic thoughts and anger. It heals your heart.
Let go of thoughts of revenge and begin to love unconditionally, it heals your relationship and heals your life. Think of forgiveness not so much as an act, but as a lifestyle. Try to forgive and forget, let by-gone be by-gone.