We hang on tightly to resentment. We don’t want others to steal it from us. It makes us feel safe and smug. It justifies our anger at the betrayal, the theft, the wrong. We sit with it as it festers.
Lately I have been hunkered down with my anger. Its heaviness whispers dark pestilence. Each breath labored; every step burdensome. I have been enveloped in a fog of pain.
Bitterness is easy. We cast blame. Unhappiness is not our fault. It lies within the misdeeds of others. They are the reason for our suffering. We wallow in our victimness.
Today I am letting this suffering go. I pray for peace, and in doing this I am letting go of their pain, their hurt, their demons. I am freeing myself, because none of it is mine.
Forgiveness is difficult, because with it comes reflection. If we forgive, we must let go of the grudge we have harbored for so long. If we release resentment, what is left?
I become a fierce freedom fighter for my own peace, venturing out of the shadows. I cut the chains which bind me to the hurt. This lightens me, and even gives me wings, and with this release I begin to heal my singed heart.
If we let go, we are free. When we forgive, we release ourselves from the chains of the past. Here’s the truth: we cannot change history. It has been written. Some wrongs were self-inflicted, others possessed malice toward others, and a few unintentional burns still smolder.
Offering up forgiveness to others and to myself is a daily practice. When the rage begins to seep into my psyche, I say a simple, silent prayer, “I forgive.” And when I do this, lightness appears. This quiet thought gives me pause. I begin to let go of hurt and pain and remember there is peace in forgiveness.
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” - Mark Twain
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” - Mahatma Gandhi
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