Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a process where we cleanse our soul.  It brings us closer to God.  When we hold our anger and resentments inside us we are hurting ourselves more than the person we resent.  Anger and resentment towards another causes many mental and physical illnesses.  We go about our days feeling tensed and stressed out.  This stress can bring about ulcers, depression, and migraines to name a few.

On a daily basis, if you have to,  you need to release your anger towards another to maintain a sense of inner peace.  Whatever happened to cause your resentment is between you and God, not between you and them.  The same goes true for the person you need to forgive.  Whatever they feel about you is between them and God.

How many times do you need to forgive?  As long as it takes for you to feel peaceful about the person and the situation that caused your resentment.  Once you have forgiven and have reached a sense of peace you need to release the situation.  You need to stop dwelling on what occurred and not be concerned about whether or not that person accepts your forgiveness.  Whether or not they accept your forgiveness is out of your control.  Just know that you have done your part.   Once you truly forgive and bless the situation and person you have completed your cleansing process. 

You do not necessarily have to forgive the person face-to-face.  If you can mentally bless the situation and person and feel at peace then your forgiveness process is complete.  If you cannot feel at peace no matter how much you mentally bless them, then you may need to forgive them face-to-face.  You can try writing a letter to them also.  You will know when your forgiving process is done because you will feel a deep sense of inner peace.  You will feel calm and happy about the situation and person.

How do you mentally forgive a person?  There are many ways.  You can say phrases to yourself such as “I bless you and bless you for all the goodness of God within you”, or “I bless this situation and thank God for its perfect outcome”.  You can spend a few minutes letting yourself feel the anger and resentment then say to yourself  “I now release and let go my feelings towards (insert person(s) name), and bless this situation for the goodness of all concerned.”  Take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, then release your breath and imagine all the negative feelings leaving you.  You may need to repeat these processes several times before you feel any peace.  Don’t limit yourself these processes.  Choose any method that works best for you.

Forgiveness is not always an easy process to perform.  It is essential, however, if we are to maintain a happy, positive outlook on life.  Once we begin to forgive and release all these negative emotions success and happiness will appear in many areas of our lives.  I bless you on your journey of forgiveness.