Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. NKJV

HARNESS THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

I read the story of a university don who demonstrated the effect of unforgiveness to his students practically. His aim was to show what happens to victims of unforgiveness.

He told his students to buy tomatoes and put them in their pockets. He instructed them to walk around with the tomatoes in their pockets for weeks.

After some days, the tomatoes began to smell because of rottenness. His students were uncomfortable walking around with smelling tomatoes in their pockets so they reported the case to this erudite professor.

He told his students what they experienced is what happens to those that do not forgive- they smell like rotten tomatoes.

*Anyone who doesn’t forgive carries an emotional stench around. They live in hurt and they hurt others*.

It looks cool sometimes when we don’t forgive but we are at the receiving end negatively. Unforgiveness makes people live in a world self-imposed mental dysfunction.

It is hard to help people out of their emotional pains if unforgiveness persists. I have observed this while trying to counsel those that are hurting.

A lady who was of marriageable age turned down all marriage proposals. No man was good enough for her.

Memories of her parent’s marriage haunted her and she just couldn’t forgive her dad for treating her mum badly.

That created in her a mental barrier that prevented her from getting married.

Matthew 6:14-15 says, *“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins*.”

Emotional pain and hurt persist in the lives of many because of their inability to forgive persons that offended them.

The more you stay in unforgiveness, the more harm you’ll be doing to your emotions and even your health.

It has been discovered that unforgiveness can cause hypertension and other allied diseases. We forgive for our sake not for the sake of the offender.

Forgiveness helps us to be free from the self- inflicted bondage in which we put ourself. Forgiveness is multi-faceted.

You need to forgive yourself for your past mistakes, forgive those that wronged you and forgive your past.

You’re the major beneficiary if you choose to forgive.

ACTION POINT: Help yourself by forgiving others. You can do this by praying for those that offended you.