The Dangers of Unforgiveness
Unforgiveness is not a characteristic trait of God. God’s nature or substance of being is love. He (God) is an epitome of perfect love. This is why love is classified as the greatest. It (love) can never come to an end. If love could come to an end, then God could also come to an end since God is love (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16). Perfect love has forgiveness as one of its fruitage. Perfect love does not hold unto grudges, hurts, bitterness or resentments. One major characteristic of perfect love is that it has the ability to forgive without struggle. When perfect love is in demonstration, there is an attitude of true forgiveness.
Unforgiveness is never a friend but an illusory enemy which lures men into fatal destruction. It (unforgiveness) comes clothed in a deceptive gown called justice but its end result is fatal destruction. The greatest punishment that one can ever give to his or herself is to harbor bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness in his or her entire being. When you harbor unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment in your being, you’re not hurting the person who caused the pains, you are actually harming yourself. Its (harboring unforgiveness) just like drinking poison and hoping that your offender who is void of the poison you drunk should die in your stead. How possible is this? It’s impossible for another to die for one who drinks poison.
Unforgiveness is very poisonous. It is (Unforgiveness) poisonous than the venom of a deadly serpent. The poison of unforgiveness has only one antidote which is forgiveness. The lack of forgiveness can wear you down. It’s a deadly disease that can be likened unto cancer cells that spreads throughout every cell or organ of its prey’s being. There is a huge relationship between forgiveness and health. Most ailments such as some forms of cancer, stroke, heart disease, blood pressure and many others, in most cases are as a result of unforgiveness. If someone hurts you, don’t spend the rest of your life living in the hurt. You do damage to yourself when you choose to dwell in the hurt caused against you. Get this from me; the feelings of unforgiveness which you habour in your being never harms the source or the perpetrator. It only harms the one harboring it. Most likely, the person that you are holding grudge against isn’t even thinking about you, while you are dwelling on the incident for years. Do yourself good by letting go of hurts and resentments. Anytime you forgive the person who hurt you; you are actually helping yourself more than the person you are forgiving (For more information on this subject matter get our book, “The Dangers of Unforgiveness”).
