Forgiveness...And Letting Go

One of the most important steps in healing, whether it be of body, mind, or soul, comes through forgiveness. Sometimes we need to forgive another, sometimes we need to forgive ourselves, but our healing cannot be full until we can truly offer this. There are many ways to forgive, and I think that is where the confusion comes in. Many think that forgiveness means that you have to "kiss and make up" and return to a relationship exactly as it was before whatever misdeed occurred, or that you must act as if it never occurred, but that is not the case. It is sometimes necessary to forgive from a distance, or to forgive but not go back. It is sending love and compassion to another, realizing that maybe you don't know all of the facts or maybe you cannot fully understand the circumstances which made that person "wrong" you or another. It is empathy...it is understanding another person's pain and accepting their perceived flaws, which is actually a gift to ourselves. We have been told that it is in the giving that we receive, and until we are willing and able to offer true and unencumbered forgiveness, we cannot fully receive the love that is available to us or the gifts that are awaiting us. In our forgiveness of others, we are preparing ourselves for God's pure, forgiving, and unconditional love, and the unlimited abundance that follows...it is our preparation for receiving all that heaven has to offer. Until we can freely give and freely receive that healing love, we cannot receive heaven in our hearts.

When we do not forgive or when we hold grudges, we are in a low level of vibration, a negative energy...and we simply attract more negative things in our lives. Often, we get upset or angry at why these "bad" things keep coming our way, but it may simply be because we won't let go of the negativity, which makes us attract more of the same. We blame others, enjoying our victimhood (which makes it someone else's fault) when that negative state is actually our own doing, our own creation through our refusal to relinquish the negative thoughts, our resistance to seeing the bright side, our unwillingness to step outside of the problem to see its beauty. God has "mysterious ways" of getting a point across to us, and the things that happen are always in our best interest, even if only for the purpose of teaching us something. I always say that when things get outrageous or when people around us behave absurdly toward us, that it is to wake us up to what we are missing. They may be our messengers, but because we are ignoring the message, it has to get louder and clearer through their absurdity.

Beyond forgivenss, the most profound step in mastering life, in returning to our true and perfect selves and returning to God, is when we transition from forgiveness to gratitude. When we are able to look at those difficult times in our lives, or those situations where others may have "wronged" us, no matter how grossly, with a new appreciation and an understanding that those events were a gift to us...an opportunity for growth, a catalyst for necessary change, or a chance for us to gauge our faith. In making this transition to absolute gratitude, we are then on our way to mastery...to a place of peace within our soul that creates the energy for miracles...a place that, if reached by enough individuals, can change our world to a brighter place.

I would like for you to think about your life and where you could offer forgiveness. Beyond that, can you reach a place of being grateful for those things that you have forgiven? Can you find ways to thank the person that made your life hell, or caused what you perceive as great hardship or pain? Make a list of the things you would like to forgive, as well as the things you would like forgiveness for...then find the gratitude for both another's faults and your own, knowing that each may have been something that we needed to learn. I promise you, if you make this step sincerely, you will change your life. You will begin to see things differently, laugh more deeply, and have peace and joy within you. You will bless others by your mere presence, by your new and powerful positive energy. You are the only thing standing in your way.