One of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves is forgiveness. When we are wronged or hurt, we tend to be harsh judges of those who have wronged us, especially when that person is our self.
Forgiveness means giving up the hope for a better past. Not an easy thing to do. But by not forgiving, we are allowing ourselves to continue to be hurt by the offense, and we are preventing ourselves from being able to be fully open to joy.
Forgiveness is not condoning. It doesn’t mean we will forget. It doesn’t even mean we ever have to speak to or have contact with the person who harmed us. We may certainly take steps to protect ourselves from being harmed again.
Forgiveness isn’t easy. It is a process that can take quite a long time. We need to acknowledge the pain and experience the grief of betrayal. It can be difficult, but the effort will most certainly pay off when we are able to let go of the pain and anger and open our hearts to love more deeply and enjoy life more fully. Forgiveness gives us back our power.
There are steps we can take to guide us along our path to letting go and moving on. More on that next week.
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