Learning to Forgive: Is It The Key in Marriage?

Learning to Forgive: Is It The Key to Marriage? Yes, Learning to forgive is one of the keys to a long, happy marriage. But before you can truly forgive, you must first understand what forgiveness means and come to know the forgiveness that God offers to you through Jesus, His beloved son. However, it is human nature that once you have been hurt, you are in no mood to try and understand or to forgive. This is even more true when your pain is caused by the one person you love and trust more than anyone else in your life. There is a little part of you that just wants to stay angry and wants to punish your spouse with constant reminders of how much he or she hurt you. Deep inside, you know you must move past the hurt, and you really do want to, but you just can't erase the memory of the transgression. Your spouse's actions play out in your mind over and over. You try and make sense of his or her behavior. Most of the time, there is no way to make sense of the situation and all that happens is that you just get sadder and more upset. So you decide you will not think about it any more. You will just forget it and move forward. However, forgiveness is not about forgetting. Forgetting is merely an action of your mind. But learning to forgive is a matter of the heart. Also, the Word of God teaches that forgiveness is required of you; it is not optional. In Colossians 3:13 we learn that you must forgive others if you want to receive forgiveness from God. No matter what your spouse has done or how badly you are hurting, your reaction must be, "Lord, show me how to forgive." When you can truly forgive your spouse, your marriage is able to weather any storm that comes your way. Learning to forgive is not the only key to longevity in marriage but it is one of the biggest.