Summary: Forgiveness And Scripture

People are taught to “forgive and forget” in order to be happy, afterall living with a grudge can being a serious damper in ones life.

As I was reading the chapter on forgiveness in Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling by McMinn (2011), the personal life experience that jumped out to me was when I had to make the decision to truly forgive my ex-boyfriend and his parents for the emotional pain they caused me. After living in New Jersey for a month and spending time with my boyfriend and his family, working, and taking care of an elderly lady with dementia my world came crashing down on me. My ex-boyfriend’s parents discovered sin in his life and told me I could no longer pursue a relationship with him because of the sins he had committed. After finding out the sinful things my ex-boyfriend had done, I chose to forgive him. I also chose to give him a second chance at a relationship with me, but my effort to salvage our relationship was futile.

“Forgiveness, assert Fincham and his colleagues, can help restore more benevolent and cooperative goals to relationships” Everett L. Worthington, Jr.(2004). New Science of Forgiveness.

It is also vital to look at Wilson’s view on the practice of forgiveness and how if an individual decides to ignore it, it can place a road block in their process of change. She believes that God speaks about forgiveness for the following reasons:” (1) we are all sinners with whom to relate so we’ll need to become skillful forgivers (2) God makes forgiveness a centerpiece of our healing process because living in un-forgiveness is so much worse (Wilson, 2001).

Life, as we all know is saturated with misfortune. Most of us are able to go through these and learn from and exempt ourselves. Yet, this isn’t always the case. People are faced with bone riveting experiences that often take a long time to get over, if they ever do get over it. These episodes brew in our brain popping up at the most random points often bringing our tone down. Although these experiences may scare us and fill us with ruefulness and penitence, we can’t continue to live in the past and let these regrets habituate us. Self forgiveness is a remedy to healing and to moving on in life, no matter how hard it is.

Forgiveness is a necessary part of human existence, although it is rarely easy to give, and sometimes hardest to give to ourselves. The Kite Runner illustrates humanity's tendency, and even willingness, to dwell on past mistakes. The opening sentence sets this theme with "I became what I am today at the age of twelve," as Amir unapologetically relates how he believes one action at that young age defined his entire life. However, as the novel progresses, the reader comes to the conclusion that it was not one action, but a series of choices and events that created Amir's persona as an adult. By holding onto his guilt and fear of discovery, Amir could only bury his past for short periods of time before his own conscience uncovered it and the

The characters in Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill A Mockingbird, portray acceptance, tolerance and forgiveness through their moral actions towards discriminative situations. Throughout my visual representation I have portrayed visual symbols to reflect upon Lee's southern gothic novel about immoral discrimination and inequality within Western society through the world of Maycomb; a small town situated in Alabama. Lee challenges the audience about the segregation of individuals through the court case of Tom Robinson; an innocent black who is accused of raping and beating a low class girl. Atticus, a well respected lawyer, stands up for the equal treatment and fair trial of Robinson. This pivotal event within the novel, as well as the ongoing

“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love (Bryant H. McGill).” The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is set in Salem, Massachusetts. The play occurs at the time of The Salem Witch Trials, which took place from 1692 until 1693. Nineteen people were sentenced to death for failing to admit to witchcraft, with many more being accused. Two of the main characters in the play accused of witchcraft are John and Elizabeth Proctor. As the play progresses, the reader sees their relationship evolve; from cold in the beginning, to supportive in the middle, to a caring, forgiving relationship in the end.

Forgiveness has been defined in many ways by psychologists and researchers with no one universal definition. Hill (as cited in Maltby, Day and Mackaskill 2001) state that it is widely agreed that forgiveness involves a willingness to abandon resentment, negative judgement and indifferent behaviour towards the person who has hurt them Although research is recent, from the last 15 years, it has helped develop our understanding of forgiveness . Research has shown that forgiveness gives positive mental health and prevents the development of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and stress. Two major models of forgiveness are Enright’s model and Worthington’s (2001) pyramid model to REACH forgiveness. Both these models involve steps and

1. “He’s wrong, we may get forgiveness but we never get second chances.” PG. 44 2. This is one of the most important quotes in this book because it carries the theme of this book.

In general, self-forgiveness is identified by a common ability to exhibit self-respect in spite of the acceptance of wrong-doing (Hall, J., Fincham, D., 2005). I never considered the distinction between interpersonal forgiveness and intrapersonal forgiveness. While they share many similarities, there is even greater evidence of the differences between the two. One significant difference involves the consequences of withholding forgiveness from self. It is likely that intrapersonal unforgiveness can be much more detrimental than interpersonal. Hall & Fincham state “ Self-forgiveness often entails a resolution to change” (2005). It is this process of acceptance of one’s own imperfections and sinful nature that catapults a desire for self-improvement and growth. This is a critical component of healing the soul and beginning the journey to spiritual and mental health. Also enlightening was the declaration that one can experience pseudo self forgiveness by failing to acknowledge any wrong doing and convincing him/herself that they are without fault. Finally, I was struck by the notion that self-forgiveness will typically

Antwan, thank you for your post regarding LTL Trucking as you explained the role that forgiveness played within the organization. However, you mentioned that forgiveness is seldom discussed in current business literature. Nevertheless, there are many articles and theories pertaining to the role of forgiveness within the business community. For example, Ayoko, sites literature that conflict, apologies and forgiveness are explained by the attribution theory. This theory speaks to the causes and effects of how individuals may evaluate conflict and determine if an apology is needed, resulting in an employee’s willingness to cooperate that leads to actual forgiveness. The research indicates that individuals or leaders that demonstrate

In the King James Version of the Bible, there is a parable told called the Prodigal Son. As this story is told in Luke 15:11-32, we are told of a story where a wealthy man has two sons. One son stays behind and decides to work for his father and inherit a good life beside him. The younger son decides he will ask for money from his father, and leave him behind. As time goes on, this son goes out into the world and shortly after, loses all of his money he had received from his father. Because of this, he is ashamed and takes his time on his way back home. But when he eventually does make it home, he is welcomed with open arms to a loving father who could not be any happier to see his son. Although the father is happy to see

LTL Trucking has had a history of management difficulties. Although, conflict is a natural part of human relations and can be a positive force in the workplace, once forgiveness has taken place. Challenges occur in any organization and dealing with conflict in the workplace can be straining and create an uncomfortable work environment. However, as indicated by Hess & Cameron (2006), forgiveness allows for the continuation of interpersonal connections in the midst of conflict, turmoil, or change (p.172). Forgiveness has many organizational benefits and LTL trucking implemented it in an effort to improve their organizational performance.

Forgiveness is a hard thing to give because forgiveness of another human being involves having you to forgive yourself. It seems a lot easier to withhold forgiveness and remain a victim. The forgiveness that I have given away or I have received has shaped who I am today, therefore becoming a part of me.