Definition Essay On Forgiving People

According to Oxford dictionaries, the definition of forgive is, "to stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake". From a young age we are taught to forgive others without any hesitancy, and to move on quickly from any wrong-doings done against us. The older we get, the harder forgiveness becomes. The definition of the word forgive makes forgiving someone seem simple and straight forward; when in reality it means so much more then to just stop feelings of anger or resentment. So many intense feelings go into forgiving someone when they have done you wrong.

Forgiving someone is sometimes thought of as just simply letting something go, and it is so much more then that. It is deciding to be the more mature person in a situation and moving on from something that isn't easily forgot about. Doing that is a lot deeper then to just

In the definition of the word forgive, it doesn't mention what I consider the most important part of forgiveness , which is the self empowerment it gives the person doing the forgiving. Holding onto anger and resentment gives the individual, who did someone wrong, the power. Forgiving someone leads to a peace within oneself that can't be obtained while holding a grudge. Forgiving an individual has more to do with oneself then the wrong doer. When one forgives someone they move on from the past; they close the door of the past mistakes and move on to the present.

The word forgive, in my opinion, is so downplayed. To me this word is filled with so many strong feelings and power. Forgiveness is a search within oneself to find the strength to be okay with a wrong doing. Forgiveness allows the weight of a grudge to be lifted off one's shoulders. To me these are things that make up the true definition of the word forgive, and all of these things are much greater then the act of simply just not