Finding Forgiveness

For some of us we rarely get through a day without facing feelings of resentment or feeling some sort of guilt. You cannot be a human or be in a relationship without stumbling upon this. Without giving it much thought we face a situation where we feel misunderstood or taken advantage of and we allow the grip that this holds on us to be released. We have learned to forgive ourselves and others on a daily basis. The beauty of being able to forgive is that it requires absolutely nothing in return. There are no bargains to be made and no conditions to be met. It allows us to get rid of the weight of old baggage that is exhausting to carry around. It gives us an opportunity to find our authenticity. It affords us a life of lightness and focus on what we hope for instead of holding on to negative feelings and looking back on our days with eyes on how we were wronged.

Forgiveness is so much more than an apology. It is also more than being accepting and understanding of a situation. When we forgive we can be more loving and compassionate with ourselves and with others. It provides us with the wonderful opportunity to walk our path, connect with our higher power, learn life lessons and be gentler with ourselves and with others.

We do not need to continue to relive the wrong. We can stop looking back with guilt or with sorrow. We can become more positive about our lives, our hopes and dreams and our relationships. Forgiveness brings back hope.

This is not to say that if someone does wrong us that we need to be a victim or allow it to continue. Having strong boundaries around what you need and require to be respected and honored are important to living a full life and having healthy relationships. We need to stay true to our life's intentions and our truths.

But as we all know, forgiveness gives us freedom. We are able to release the poisons that can worry our minds, make our hearts heavy and shorten the beauty of our days. Accepting that we are less than perfect and the people in our lives are as well, give us that breathing room.

A favorite quote of mine about forgiveness is from Isabelle Holland, "As long as you don't forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy rent-free space in your mind." It is your choice. You hold the key to this and the more that you want a life of freedom, joy and love..the more you will see that existence will come from finding forgiveness. Blessings ~ Lisa

© Copyright 2012 Lisa Meade