This may help you feel better.
Turn your thought to forgiveness – just for the next few minutes.
Think of someone who you have a hard time forgiving. Consider what they did that wronged you. And how bad it made you feel. Maybe you don’t want to forgive them because you think this person doesn’t deserve it.
But what about you? Don’t you deserve to be the person who forgives and starts to mend?
Think about the heavy load you carry about this person. Do a body check-in and see where you have been holding these feelings. Your stomach? Neck? Muscles? What is it costing you to carry around these old negative feelings?
Take a moment and consider what those feelings are – hurt, fear, anger, hate, resentment, and defensiveness. Those are painful emotions! They can also be painful in your body. Don’t you deserve to be free of the pain of these hurt feelings?
Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you are condoning what was wrongly done to you. Forgiveness also does not mean that the door is wide open for the person, or persons, to repeat the offense. And, certainly, forgiveness doesn’t mean you will let down your guard and forget what happened, only to be surprised when you fail to see the signs you learned to prevent being hurt in the future.
Forgiveness means that you can take a final look at the situation and consider what you learned from it. Here are some of the things you may consider you learned:
- Never be with someone who has a bad temper and is unloving, or who blames and criticizes you.
- Never be with someone who finds it okay to hurt you and never regrets it or apologizes.
- You deserve to be treated with respect and kindness by everyone, not just some people.
Notice how you start to feel better as you begin to let go of grudges, resentments, blame, condemnation, and all anger. Try to release words spoken and unspoken that you associate with hurtful times. Notice how much better you start to feel now that you’ve addressed your life with the power to improve it with spaciousness opened up for your greater happiness.
When you consider what it has cost you to live with hard feelings about a person or a situation you were in with the person, you can finally do something about it, by changing it to something better – by naming what you learned from it. And then heed the learning and don’t go back to the old habits of allowing people who aren’t in line with how you wish – and deserve – to be treated.
Forgiveness enables your heart to start mending, feel clean, and ready to live with more peace in your life. You need it. Forgiveness is for you!
