Forgiveness Is Healthy For Body and Soul

Yes, our feeling will get hurt, and yes, we will likely be “wronged” in this lifetime.

It’s all part of human interactions, and we are all imperfect.

It can be hard to let it go sometimes, but that’s just what we ought to do. Scripture tells us, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins,” (Matthew 6:14, 15).

Now, science and studies have also proven, however, that forgiveness is not just for our soul, but for our health as well. Bitterness really can eat us up inside! If you are struggling with this, you may be interested in our article, “YOU Hurt My Feelings!”

Through a survey of 1,500 people a researcher at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, N. Krause, discovered that if you tend to forgive easily you will be more likely to enjoy “greater psychological well-being” and be less depressed than those who hold grudges.

The study description says,

Forgiveness is a variable closely related to religiousness and spirituality that has been hypothesized to be protective of mental and physical health. However, we do not clearly understand which aspects of forgiveness are most clearly associated with health outcomes, and the conditions under which these relationships occur.

This study used national probability data to systematically examine age differences in the association between forgiveness, religiousness/ spirituality, and respondent reports of mental and physical health.

Results showed age differences in the levels of forgiveness of others and feeling forgiven by God. In both cases, middle and old age adults showed higher levels of these forms of forgiveness than young adults.

Furthermore, the relationship between forgiveness of others and respondent reports of mental and physical health varies by age. Forgiveness of others was more strongly related to self-reported mental and physical health for middle and old age adults than for young adults.

I think it is interesting that young adult are less likely to forgive. Speaking for myself, the older I become, the more I realize that life is short and relationships are precious. Not forgiving someone hurts me more than it hurts them, and oftentimes the “issue” is not nearly as important as the relationship.

ljc