"Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon." †” Nelson MandelaOh, I couldn't agree more with this. I really do believe forgiving people and yourself is the best way to heal and live a life unburdened by emotional hang-ups. The problem with forgiveness is that it is a hard thing to do, and to truly forgive, it has to come from our heart. But once you take the plunge and start to practice it, it becomes easier and it can be life-changing. Here's why I think forgiveness is so important: 1. A lack of forgiveness creates unnecessary stress and holds you back in life. Forgiving someone does not mean excusing their actions or what they did wrong to you. It means simply letting go of what happened, accepting it and sending love their way so you can liberate yourself. You'll feel as if a weight has lifted from your heart and your soul will instantly feel lighter and brighter. Although it may not happen overnight, it will definitely happen over time. Why should your freedom, joy and happiness be plagued by wrong-doing from the past? Forgiveness, in my eyes, equates to freedom and peace. 2. Forgiveness does not mean you have to forget. There are times where it is not possible to forget something, and while it seems like a sunny idea, forgiveness won't always fix your friendships or relationships with the other person (although it might just do that, you never know!). But, it does mean you have come to terms with what was done and you no longer have a hard heart about it. That's a healthy way to live, don't you think? 3. What we hold onto within ourselves dictates our reality, so letting go can change your life. I read somewhere that we choose to forgive when we decide it's more important to be happy than to be right. Isn't that an absolutely lovely thought, to know that we are in complete control over our joy and happiness? 4. Forgiveness brings all of the pent-up emotions to the surface so that you can release them for good. The process of forgiving is not always a smooth-sailing journey. Forgiving someone can often bring up all of the hurt, pain and anger that's sitting below the surface, but even amid all those feelings, making a choice to forgive is your ticket to letting it all go and walking away with increased clarity and a clearer conscience. 5. What you resist, persists. Forgiveness dismantles the resistance and makes way for emotional emancipation.
When we hang on to resentments we can't escape them. We may escape the people who triggered them, but unfortunately the feelings we're running from may make their way back into new relationships or new jobs and infuriate us even more. Trust me when I say, to forgive is to emancipate yourself from any emotional burdens that might be holding you back and often we are so unaware of them, that when we finally cast some light about what's going on internally and face what happened in the past with courage and strength, we realise it was as easy as a little - you guessed it - forgiveness! And don't forget that one of the most important people to forgive is...yourself!
Do you need to forgive anyone or anything natural beauties? Do you feel strongly about this mantra too? Leave a comment x