Forgiveness, how much is too much?

3) Forgiveness

I recently saw a book entitled “Forgive for Your Health.” I read the back cover and something stuck with me. It said something about how forgiving someone isn’t for them, it’s for you. If you don’t forgive someone of something then you are holding it with you, instead of letting it go. This is different from forgiving and forgetting. It said that forgetting is not necessarily a good thing because then you could fall into the same routine and trust that person again, only to be betrayed. I completely believe in that idea, because when you don’t forgive someone it does weigh on you. It’s hard for me to imagine to what extents this applies though because I’ve had a fairly simple life, with not much major conflict or horror. I don’t ever hold grudges against anyone, but I can’t imagine forgiving someone for murdering a loved one or for committing crimes like that. I think forgiveness is important, but I completely understand why some people can never forgive others. The problem with that is that they then cannot move past their hurt. Another important question is how many chances should someone get? Second chances can be a good thing for people to prove that they have changed, but what about third and fourth chances? And then you must ask yourself, can people really change? Another form of forgiveness is for yourself. Some people make such big mistakes that they can't even forgive themselves and that, again, applies to the forgive, but don't forget rule. There is a lot to think about on the subject of forgiving and if I ever figure it all out, I will be sure to let you know.

Everyone must ask themselves the ultimate question: Forgiveness, how much is too much?

One should not give someone, or themself, too much forgiveness, because this could lead to the same mistake, but if they do not give enough then they will be burdened by whatever happened.

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