Benefits of Forgiveness

Although there is a lot of scientific evidence to support the physical, mental and emotional benefits of forgiveness, I did not base my decision to forgive my father because of the scientific evidence. Instead, I came to a crossroads. I could either continue down the path of my anger or I could take a hard right and start a journey down the path of forgiveness.

I chose to head down the path of forgiveness and I’ve never regretted my choice. 

Looking back on my journey to forgiveness, I went about it backwards; that is, I knew very little about forgiveness before forgiving my dad. It has only been in the years since forgiving him that I’ve delved into what it really means to forgive and its benefits.

It was my anger that alerted me to my need to forgive. This anger of mine had simmered for a long time. I’ve read that because a child feels their sadness and anger without anyone to provide comfort, they have no choice but to suppress it. 

It was the suppression of my anger that wreaked havoc inside of me. 

It is a known fact that suppressed anger causes hypertension. But anger wasn’t the only emotion I tried hard to suppress. There was the tag along of resentment, anxiety, and despair with their own special effects. 

In an article from the National Library of Medicine it states that, “The negative health effects of unforgiveness are widely documented which include but are not limited to: stress, increased depression and anxiety, social isolation, and even compromised physical health due to stress on one’s immune system.”

Rachel Fintzy Woods, MA, MFT puts it this way, “…By refusing to forgive, we can harm ourselves a great deal more than we ever could the person who hurt us.” 

As I’ve said before, I knew nothing about the effects of my suppressed anger. I only knew that it wasn’t boding well with me. 

Now that I’ve forgiven my father, I have lower blood pressure, and resentment, anxiety, and despair have left me. 

Sometimes, when old emotions associated with resentment are triggered by something in the present, I only have to remind myself that the forgiveness I extended toward my father can also be extended toward anyone or any situation. 

It would seem that once we’ve forgiven one offender it becomes the norm to extend forgiveness to all our offenders. But that is just my opinion, not yet backed by scientific research.

Why Bother?

Why bother knowing about the benefits of forgiveness? Discovering the incredible benefits of forgiving is life long and life changing.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who need clarity when it comes to understanding forgiveness. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.