Guest Blogger Dawn Yoder

*Editor's Note - Dawn Yoder is a part of the Circle of Friends Worship Team and the COF radio host on WHKC 91.5 Columbus weekdays at 10 am. She is also involved with LaRed Business Network which teaches principles based on the Proverbs. You can check out their website www.lared.org and download their principles for free!

The Principle of Forgiveness, Part 2 (Part 1)

"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15

You will reap many benefits from practicing forgiveness:

• You will be at peace with your past and have hope for the future.
• You will improve your psychological well-being.
• You will have more friendships and healthier relationships with others.
• You will reduce the stress in your life. People who forgive have been found to generally have lower blood pressure and a lower heart rate. They are also less likely to suffer from chronic pain.
• You will have less hostility and you will be better at managing your anger.
• You will be at a lower risk for depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

If you are a forgiving person you will have these traits:

1. You will believe that forgiveness is your choice and does not depend on how you feel about something.
2. You will make an effort to understand and accept other people and yourself.
3. You will understand that there is no future in the past and forgiving frees you to move on with your life.
4. You will spend your time and energy focusing on the future rather than on hurtful memories of the past.

Steps to Follow:

• Set aside your pride. Do not allow pride to stop you from forgiving and moving on.
• Remember that people are not born with the intention to inflict pain. Make an effort to understand that many things have influence over a person's behavior. Understanding can be key to forgiving an moving on.
• Make a choice to forgive.
• Realize that forgiveness is not a one time act. Depending on the severity of the pain, you may have to make the choice to forgive the same situation multiple times.
• Be willing to seek counseling if the harm that was inflicted on you is more than what you how to handle.

Remember thoughts produce actions, actions produce habits, habits form our character, our character determines our destiny!