Jesus says, "Forgive your brother or sister from your heart." Luskin says that when you forgive, you counteract the stress response along with its chemicals that make you feel like a helpless victim. "When you forgive," says the doctor, "you wipe all of that clean."
Jesus wants us to get stronger and healthier by making the decision to forgive, and then turning that choice into a process. He challenges us to make that choice repeatedly until it becomes a part of who we are. Yes, forgiveness is difficult. Seeing ourselves as sinners who have received forgiveness from our Lord is also difficult. It is much easier to hold grudges than to feel compassion toward the people who have hurt us. But Jesus knows that forgiveness is good for us -- body, mind and spirit -- which is why he commands us to offer it to our brothers and sisters. Sometimes we need to be challenged to forgive, just as we need to be pushed.
We can wipe the slate clean by forgiving our brothers and sisters. That's a choice that lowers stress, increases personal power and heals the world as well.
