What does "When we forgive somebody else we are really forgiving ourselves" mean to you?

Question

Peace and Love

Answer 1

I think forgiveness is a foundation of a strong will and soul within an individual. In order to find forgiveness within another person, you first must look inside yourself and be the stronger person. If someone has hurt you in any way, (emotionally, spiritually, physically) you have to yourself, have the strength to rise above their actions and forgive them even though they have hurt you.

I guess the bottom line on this for me is being able to rise above another person's actions. I mean, we are all human, it is the willingness to forgive that makes us that much more special.

PoIsOn MuNkEy

Answer 2

To forgive someone for forgetting an errand or spilling their milk is not such a challenge....to forgive the unforgiveable sometimes is beyond human capacity.

An unforgiveable offense was once done to me and i refused to forgive it........it festered in my spirit like an ulcerous wound poisoning my life..........yet i felt right in not granting pardon for this " unpardonable ' act.

Later I was guilty of a moral offense that surprised me in the scope of.....sin was no longer just a theological concept.....I saw that my heart was as dark as any other....yet i wanted to be forgiven for what I had done...............

How can we ask a righteous God to forgive us and hold other's actions against them....it is illogical and perverse

There is a mystical tie between my humilty about my own sinfulness and my ability to be forgiving and compassionate to those still hurting themselves and others with their prideful behaviors

Jesus told a parable that illustrated just this point.....a man owed a large...amount of money and his friend forgave the loan, he then immediately left this meeting and beat another man who owed him a small amount of money....we have been forgiven of ALL.....we can forgive others a bit.

In that sense we are forgiving ourselves, or at least acknowledging our desire to be thankful for our own forgiveness.............

Answer 3

To me it means you are forgiving yourself for judging them, for being angry with them and you are releasing the bad feelings you have been harbouring towards them. By doing this, you yourself feel better.

Answer 4

Baloney, It's God's forgiveness we need above all else.

Answer 5

To me, it means no longer carrying that load of resentment toward another person, noi matter what they have done. Then I am freed up to think and feel better things.

Answer 6

It means that you start looking at the positive in general instea of the negative.

Answer 7

As you forgive you will be forgiven!

Answer 8

that somebody has been hitting the sacramental wine a bit too much.