My cousin and I were chatting recently about how important forgiveness is in all its forms. Self-forgiveness and forgiving others frees us. Forgiving keeps us from wasting energy, time and resources that would be better spent in other ways. It cuts the ties that bind us to individuals who have hurt us, and from which we want to move on. It keeps our hearts from corroding from resentment.
Thing is though, we weren’t sure how you really go about forgiving either yourself or someone else. If you don’t feel forgiveness, how can you forgive?
I know that everything starts with an intention – so it must be that way with forgiveness. You have to want to forgive more adamantly than you want to hang on to a hurt, an injustice or a grudge. You need to want to choose forgiveness as the way forward in your life – even if you are hurting.
Perhaps forgiveness is a choice that we make. Perhaps we have to make it over and over again – maybe every day.
Perhaps forgiveness is really letting go, so that we can turn the page.
My self-talk:
- I choose to forgive.
- I really want to forgive this person.
- I am ready to forgive myself.
- I don’t have the resources to waste on hanging on to this person/story anymore. I want to be free.
- I forgive myself too, so that I am capable to be there for myself now.
- I want to meet with myself today, not stuck in an old story from the past.
- I choose love.