Forgiveness

You’ve read about the power of Forgiveness, but you don’t know how to do it. It may feel as if it’s impossible. Your mind rebels at the thought of forgiving, let alone forgetting, deep hurts or injustices … so your feelings are stuck ~ your heart won’t soften. How do you get to that place of true ~ and lasting ~ release from all the negative thoughts and emotions attached to whatever occurred? How to find a lasting peace inside?

The path to Forgiveness may seem like some elusive thing that happens to someone else. Like manna from Heaven, it just falls over them like a magic spell where all is forgiven, all is well, and they go about their life as if nothing ever happened. The unresolved ball of emotions has disappeared, the burden is miraculously lifted. And they  are just the happy recipient of this magical gift.

If that has not been your experience of Forgiveness, we will tell you Forgiveness is not always magical … or miraculous … or even mysterious. Anyone can Forgive anything, if they so choose. And we don’t recommend forgetting. If you forget what you’ve learned from the experience, you’ll only have to repeat the experience until you do remember. So … Forgive and Let Go. But ~ if I choose to Forgive, how does it happen?

Forgiveness is a deliberate act of personal will.

That personal will? That’s your will. Forgiveness is initiated by you. It does not come to you from on high. It comes from within you ~ it springs from a desire to be free of the burden you are carrying.

You initiate the process of Forgiveness in obedience to your Soul. This idea of obedience is one most people will rebel against … but obedience in this case simply means you understand the reason for the necessity of this action and you are complying with it. It’s not caving in to someone else’s will … it is complying with your Soul’s desire for the absolute best for you and wanting for you to be free of the burdens you are carrying.

Forgiveness as a deliberate act of personal will, in obedience to your Soul. Why should you do such a thing?

In many ways, forgiveness provides relief from hurt, anger, jealousy, resentment, and many other undesirable emotions … of course, you also receive relief from the repetitive thoughts that generated those emotions in the first place. Forgiveness releases you from toxic emotional bonds formed by abuse or neglect and/or your addiction to them. Forgiveness breaks the cycle of repeating negative thoughts and their attendant emotions … and the precipitations that create as a result of them. Forgiveness is the antidote to an unhealthy focus.

How does forgiveness happen?

It happens through trust.

Forgiveness is a deliberate act of your personal will, in obedience to your Soul, trusting Soul to bring emotional healing.

If there is any magic in this process, it is at this point where that “magic” occurs. You have obeyed your Soul and intentionally set your will to forgive. You develop a ritual or a mantra to integrate your forgiveness. You then “forget” the situation and go about your normal activities, trusting Soul to bring emotional healing. Whenever the situation comes up in your thoughts, you affirm you have forgiven all, and are trusting Soul to heal your emotional wounds … then you let go again. This is the “forgive and forget” dictum you’ve heard so much about, which has seldom, if ever, been clearly explained.

At some point, you quietly realize thoughts of the situation no longer give you an emotional charge. You recognize that somehow Soul truly has brought emotional healing to you. Or, there comes an insight or revelation about the situation that changes how you see it … and therefore, how you feel about it. This healing can come in many different guises. But come it will.

For your Soul, forgiveness ~ Grace ~ is always the answer to any hurt or wrongdoing by anyone … including ~ and especially ~ you. Your trust is “rewarded” by receiving emotional healing, making it easier to trust the next time you use your personal will to initiate the process of forgiveness.

Your Soul loves you … unconditionally … and in demonstration of this love, your Soul’s Grace is always available, stemming in part from the compassion and empathy Soul holds for you. Soul instantly forgives anything of a negative or harmful nature you might think, say, or do. Let Soul’s generosity of Spirit move you to have compassion, empathy and forgiveness in all situations.

Practice forgiveness.

Practice forgiving yourself.

Nothing is unforgivable. When forgiveness is an act of personal will, there is nothing that prevents forgiveness … nothing … nothing but your own resistance to forgiving. Learn to desire forgiveness. Allow yourself the relief and release that comes with forgiveness. Give this gift to yourself … and all others involved … give your Soul a chance to practice Grace. Everyone wins. Especially you.

Through forgiveness, you free yourself.

Practice forgiveness.

Often.