"The Power of Forgiveness"

Have you ever been hurt by someone? I think it's safe to say we all have at one point or another in our lives. Do you remember what you felt? Emotional? Angry? Did you even care?

I guess it all depends on how we were hurt. Or does it? You start to question why they did it or how could they do this to you. Its an endless mind game that could consume you on a daily basis. Now, this may not be the case for everyone. Some are able to dismiss it and move on, where as others take it so personally that its all they think about. They live and breath it. Time passes and we start to develop anger towards the person or people who hurt us. We carry it, day in and day out. We may even share our hurt with others, they may try to either give us advice or feed into the anger we are feeling. It sure is a situation that no one wants to be in. I remember feeling this before. The hurt was so intense, anger would consume my heart and darkness surrounded me. Not a good visual. I remember Max would look at me and say " and how is that working out for you?" (LOL). Obviously not working for me at all.

FORGIVENESS

"WHAT?"

It took me sometime to learn how to forgive. Its not an easy task, not one bit. I always thought that if I forgave, that made it okay that they hurt me. What exactly is forgiveness?

Forgiveness is the act of letting go of anger, resentment, and negative feelings towards someone who has wronged you. It is a decision to release the desire for revenge and to instead choose compassion and understanding. Forgiveness is a process that can take time, effort, and support. Having support that directs you in the right path is a big help.

It may involve acknowledging and working through one's feelings of hurt, betrayal, or anger, and learning to understand the actions of the person who hurt you. Forgiveness is not always easy, and it does not mean forgetting what happened or excusing the behavior of the person who wronged you.

Now you may think " Oh that is just going to be very hard to do". Think of the benefits of letting go of that anger.

Some potential benefits of forgiveness include:

• Improved mental and physical health: Holding onto feelings of anger and resentment can take a toll on a person's mental and physical well-being. Forgiving others can help to reduce stress and improve overall health.

• Improved relationships: Forgiving others can help to repair damaged relationships and improve communication and understanding.

• Increased self-esteem: Forgiving others can help to build self-esteem and self-confidence.

• MY FAVORITE>> Greater inner peace and emotional well-being: Forgiving others can help to bring a sense of inner peace and emotional well-being.

• Increased sense of personal power: Forgiving others can help to empower a person to move past hurtful experiences and regain a sense of control over their life.

• Improved spiritual well-being: Forgiveness can be a spiritual practice that can help to deepen one's sense of connection to something greater than themselves.

How does that feel reading the benefits of forgiving? Do you think you are able to forgive? Most importantly are you ready to feel whole again or do you want to keep feeling angry, possibly suffering from low self esteem, lack of sleep, not eating or eating too much? Let me ask you this: "How is that working for you?"