Charles is a 50-year-old person who suffers from severe depression and alcoholism. Due to his inability to manage his behavior, Maggie divorced him after 25 years of marriage. The couple have a son and daughter in their early 20s.
Maggie and the children harbored a lot of anger toward Charles because he was emotionally unavailable to them. When he drank it was like venom entering his veins causing him to become angry over the simplest of matters. He did not follow the recommendations of his doctor that would help him manage his depression symptoms.
One Sunday Maggie and the children attended a church service. The Pastor spoke about forgiveness. He quoted the following verses from the bible (Matthew 18: 21-22), “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”
The Pastor explained when we do not forgive others for harm they cause us it can lead to physical health issues, spiritual emptiness, and bitterness.
The wisdom of the Pastor gave Maggie a wake-up call in her quest to heal from an awful marriage. She made the conscious decision to forgive her former husband so that she could find peace and healing. She wanted to role model for her children what it takes to recover from the pain of the past and maybe they could have a relationship with their father.
How many times do we need to forgive others?
Why is this important for our spiritual, mental, and physical well-being?
Peace
Larry
email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website https://superhumanbeing.net/