By Christine Kuehn Kelly

Do you hold a grudge until everyone, including yourself, has forgotten the reason you were angry in the first place?

It not only may be affecting your family or social life, it may be affecting your health as well, researchers reported at the American Psychological Association meeting in Boston.

Increasing evidence points to better mental and physical health for those who don't hang on to every slight, the researchers said. Unless you are too forgiving of someone who has seriously abused you, forgiving seems to be beneficial to your health.

An unforgiving personality is likely to have a faster heart rate and higher blood pressure--which have been shown to raise the risk of heart disease.

Those who can't or won't forgive often have fearful, angry personalities. They are also less likely to feel that they themselves have been forgiven for something they did, the study reports. And they may be depressed.

Your forgiveness personality also hinges on how you feel if you've done something wrong yourself. If you are ashamed, you may be less likely to forgive yourself or others. But if you feel guilty, you are probably more likely to forgive, ask others to forgive you and not to blame others for your own bad behavior.

And if you have very high self esteem, you may be likely to readily forgive yourself for misdeeds--but you are probably less likely to forgive others.

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Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda