In May of 2024, there was an article in The Wall Street Journal titled, “Too Much Anger Harms Your Health.” The author of the article, Sumathi Reddy, says that medical research has learned anger doesn’t just damage our mental health, but also our hearts, brains and gastrointestinal systems. They also discovered that anger does greater damage than anxiety and sadness to a person’s life.

Generally, our anger is directed at a person who we believe has somehow wronged us, hurt us or betrayed us. Many people don’t realize that often we carry this anger around until it is resolved. The hard part for us is to realize that we must forgive those who have harmed us. However, it is much easier to harbor anger, resentment, and even hatred than to forgive and let go. However, we must indeed forgive if we expect to be truly liberated and genuinely live with joy in our lives.

Some of you might remember the classic rock and roll band, Credence Clearwater Revival. They were quite popular and experienced tremendous success, yet that did not keep them from a complete fracturing and breaking-up of the band. John Fogerty, the lead singer, would not talk to any of the former members, nor would he ever sing any of their old songs. And then he realized what had happened to him. He said, “Bitterness is a poison that we drink, hoping it will cause the other person to die.” Think about that… Bitterness does great harm to us, the one who harbors the ill thoughts, yet it does not affect the other person at all.

This is why novelist William Young says, “Forgiveness is for the forgiver.  It is to release you from something that will eat you alive and that will destroy your joy and your ability to live fully and openly.”

You might be thinking that you just do not have it in you to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply…that it is just not possible. I had a woman tell me those very words several years ago.

My response was that only God and his grace could enable her to forgive. I suggested that she needed earnestly to ask Him to deliver her from her anger and bitterness. She might be at a point where she had to acknowledge that she was powerless to do this on her own.

She sought God’s strength and power to forgive the person who had hurt and betrayed her. Several months later she was healed and set free from her imprisoning anger.

Clearly, anger can be quite harmful to our lives, as it tends to entrap us. The extension of forgiveness is a greater power that frees us and enables us to live a joyful, healthy life.

Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.