Forgiveness doesn’t mean you agree with what someone has done; you forgive to release yourself from its negative energy. You regain your power to live fully in the present time instead of feeling restricted by someone else’s actions.
Sometimes, we need to make people accountable for their actions, but we don’t need to let it hold us down or back for the rest of our lives.
When you don’t forgive, you give away your power. It keeps the pain alive and never lets the wound heal.
Here are some suggestions to help you forgive yourself and others:
Start with forgiving yourself and return to love. Connect to your heart and tell yourself, “What can I learn from my mistakes? I love and forgive myself. Are there any actions I need to take to make amends?
Think about the person you can’t forgive as a child born with the need to be loved. That person still exists. Most people who act out are asking for love.
What you see in others is reflected back to you. You see hate, you will feel hate. You see love, you will feel love.
Remember, even those who need to be accountable for their actions need love and forgiveness.
Write a list of people you want to forgive. Practice using your heart to love and forgive them. Release the negative energy associated with them and let it go. Suppose they do need to be made accountable. Take the required actions without harboring resentment and anger. Feel the feelings necessary and then return to love and let it go.
Last but not least. Practice forgiving yourself first. If you can’t forgive yourself and connect to your heart, it will be difficult to forgive others.
If you master forgiveness, you will experience freedom you have never known. You will return to your full potential and capabilities. You will not be a victim of your life; you will be the best version of yourself.
With love and grace,
On the Choose Courage Podcast, Terry Sidford encourages her guests to share their Courage Stories.
"My heart opened while reading Terry’s down-to-earth prose. I felt myself rooting for her as the heroine in her compelling and unique true story, while simultaneously relating and seeing my own possibilities. I was profoundly inspired."