When someone does us harm or gives offence, it’s almost instinctive to retaliate or seek revenge. However, such negative feelings can harm ourselves. Anger is corrosive, retaliation or revenge would be petty, even if it is satisfying. Forgiveness is the healthier response.
It means deliberately letting go of the negative feelings provoked by the other person, after first acknowledging that the offender was wrong. That doesn’t mean condoning the action (which is to excuse it) or ignoring it (which is to pretend it did not happen). Even health clinics advise that forgiveness is healthy, and brings about the kind of peace that lets you get on with life.
If you hold a grudge, you will take that bitterness into all your relationships. Forgiveness means committing to a process of change. It means not defining your life by the way you have been hurt. This one-day course will help you forge forgiveness, both towards others and towards yourself.
