Here Is The Real Secret To Looking Younger

Aging is a part of life, of course, and for those of us who are middle-aged and older, it can be alarming at times to see its effects on the body. Graying hair, muscle loss, slower metabolisms and those irritating wrinkles that let everyone know you're not a spring chicken anymore can all be difficult to accept. Obviously, this is why many people are so frantic to find ways to look younger.

Diet and exercise are always a good start, but people are willing to go to extremes to have some sort of secure hold on a youthful appearance. Extremes that are expensive, risky, and often harmful. But there is something in particular that really works and it is almost always overlooked... something that doesn't involve any painful procedures, doesn't cost a dime, and won't cause your facial features to swell and distort your natural look. What is this apparent fountain of youth? It is the act of forgiveness.

I Don't Want To Look Like That!

To illustrate my point, I'd like to tell you about my friend, Laurie. Some years ago, Laurie started attending a support group to find healing for a devastating and traumatic event in her life. She walked away from this experience with a very distinct understanding of what she needed to do. Here's her take on it:

It was a group of men and women, some younger than I, some much older. And there was one woman there [who had been through a terrible event] and she was angry. And every week, I would go and I would listen to her be angry. I would see her face be angry and I would look at all those wrinkles and all that anger and I would think, I don't want to look like that. I needed to figure out how to let go and forgive because I knew right then I was never going to grow anymore or improve my life in any way unless I learned how to forgive.

Laurie brings up a great point for our consideration. There are many reasons why a person gets angry and a lot of them are justifiable, but the kind of anger that causes wrinkles and health problems is prolonged anger, which is a result of harboring resentment toward particular people, or people in general. This lack of forgiveness can wreak havoc in your life and the lives of others.

There is no question you’ve encountered your share of hurts and disappointments in relationships. Whether it’s a family, business, friendship or dating relationship, we are all sinners and we all bring our faults and imperfections to the table when we interconnect with other human beings. So, it stands to reason that things will sometimes go wrong. But, there are far too many people in this world who refuse to forgive those who have hurt them and end up suffering the consequences, one of which is poor health and premature aging. Why be one of them?

Anger Doesn't Mix With Dating

So, back to the fountain of youth... If you are dating and looking for a lasting relationship, you of course want to do all you can to be attractive. Holding on to prolonged anger, then, is not an option. An attractive person not only looks good, but also possesses certain traits or characteristics that are readily noticeable, even if she’s just walking through a room. One of those traits is a peaceful heart, the kind of peace that makes a person light up a room when they walk it. Peaceful people smile a lot because they are happy. Peaceful people are friendly and easy to be with. When your heart is free from the constraints of the past and is not lugging around a ton of ugly baggage, you will experience this kind of peacefulness that will attract others to you.

I encourage you to take stock of any resentments you might be holding on to and consider freeing your heart from them through sincere forgiveness. What a great way to prepare for the birth of our Savior!

I've included the video snippet of my friend, Laurie, below. It is a segment from my video, Voices of Hope, in which she and other men and women share their powerful testimony on healing from divorce. You can find it at LisaDuffy.Com.