Forgiving Someone Who Has Done You Wrong

We all have to deal with nonsense and immaturity from people close to us from time to time. I've even heard a wise old saying that says, "it is inevitable that offenses will come." So if we know that we're going to be offended, snubbed, dissed, or mistreated, the question is, "How do we deal with it?"

The first step is to realize that being upset and resentful only hurts you. The one who did you wrong probably doesn't even know the extent of your frustration or the hardship they've caused. Nine times out of ten the guilty party is unaware of the problem they've caused. So you are left to suffer alone. Well, if it's not accomplishing anything for you then please, stop suffering. You've got to realize that it's in your favor to release this person from the guilt of their actions and move on. You're not doing them a favor, you're doing YOU a favor.

Resentment is like something rotten in your stomach, the longer it stays there, the more harm it does. It's best to just go through with the unpleasant task of getting it out of your system. Don't hold on to it.

Step two after letting go of the offense is to move on. Immediately distract yourself with a new or engaging activity. Force your mind to stop dwelling on the offense and move on. Go out and have some fun with friends or family. If nothing's going on that night, invite somebody over, preferably someone not closely connected to the offending party. The last thing you want to do is re-open the wound by complaining to a third party. This action can cause a lot of pain in you and them.

Last of all, do something nice for the offending party. WHAT!? DO SOMETHING NICE!? That's right. You'd be really surprised to see how effective and healing it is to confront your insensitive friend with unexpected kindness. It puts you back in control and changes all the negatives to positives. It also breaks any awkwardness that might be present in the friendship after the offense.