Forgiveness
Unless I've lived in a bubble, I've
probably had people that have hurt me deeply in my life
with things I've found hard, if not impossible to
forgive. One of the people on that list may be a former
partner. Maybe they were unfaithful, or used or abused
me. Perhaps the end of the relationship brought out the
worst in us, and we parted with bitterness and anger.
Although I may have said I forgave
them, if I haven't let go of my anger, I've only started
the process of forgiveness. I'm probably very good at
hiding that anger, even from myself, but find it
triggered whenever my partner does something that reminds me
of those previous hurts.
To forgive means letting go of
the hurt, without having to forget that I was hurt.
When I let myself fully feel the pain, the tears, and the
anger I have inside, I help release them; I can then look
at the past with a new calmness. I no longer need to keep
my anger, because my healing gives me the best protection
I can have against making the same mistakes in the
future.
Just for Today
Today I'll give some thought to whether
there's someone in my past I still feel deep anger
towards. If so, I'll make a commitment to start releasing
their power over my life, because I don't want those memories
to continue hurting me as well.
I'll try to remember that forgiveness
is something I do for me, to give me more peace of
mind in the present, and future.
Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.
- Oscar Wilde
Tip by Bernd Hansen of Relationshipweb