Forgiveness is a gift to ourselves, because we can finally let go of what holds us back.
The Grudges We Hold
Lot of times we try to convince ourselves why we shouldn’t forgive.
We dwell on the feelings of hatred and reservoir of resentments whenever the memory springs up in mind.
We think to ourselves we shouldn’t forgive because from our perspectives the actions or words of the person deeply affected us.
Some bad memories may be hold in mind for weeks, but some bad memories stay with us for years and years.
There are many people that hold onto these bad memories for the rest of their lives and even with deaths.
The tragedy of resentment is not just the awful feelings that stays with us forever. Instead it is the way it affects us in our daily lives.
Because they could never let go of their hatred they begin to project these biased beliefs from their past onto innocent bystanders in their lives.
Worst of all these false beliefs caused from our grudges gets carried on through generations and creates ongoing ripples that will deeply affect how our children will see the world.
This is demonstrated in the news with many collective groups that come out of war with despise/prejudice for a selected race they consider as ‘enemy’.
The Fruits of Forgiveness
To learn to forgive is to learn to love. To know that we are not born out of hate but born out of love.
For years I myself couldn’t forgive something from my childhood. The memory of it would always bring back a feeling of anger.
Always it was with the explanation of the righteousness of my anger and the rudeness of their actions.
Truthfully, allowing myself to forgive I understood that my anger was simply the covering for the shame their actions made me feel.
Yet, with awareness that they were not to blame because we all have times of ignorance in our lives.
How could there possibly be anger for their ignorance at that time when there were also moments I committed actions out of ignorance that hurted others.
When we learn to forgive others we will also learn to love and forgive ourselves.
Moreover, to accept our past actions that’s done out of ignorance.
And by learning to accept our past actions we will also learn more and more how to accept the imperfections in ourselves.
To bravely stand forth into the world with courage not because of our perfection but through the acceptance of our own imperfection.
That’s why forgiveness is a great gift, because it will finally give us the opportunity to live a life with inner freedom.
You don’t need to forgive everyone all at once. Try sharing the gift of forgiveness towards one person or even one small action each day.
May you find inner freedom and peace
