There are many gifts you can give but the best one is to give yourself the gift of forgiveness.
It was Gods’ greatest gift to us. It is our greatest gift to others and ourselves. When we forgive others, we promote healing. Not only healing for the person who hurt us but also for ourselves.
Forgiveness is a process. Someone does something to hurt us and we in turn hurt. Hurt, not only because of their actions but also because of how it makes us feel. The hurt turning into anger. When left untended hurt turns into bitterness; like a flower slowly choked out by weeds, so to is our light diminished by anger and bitterness.
Forgiving someone allows them to heal. Often, the person we are forgiving doesn’t even know they need to be forgiven, or care if they are forgiven. They usually don’t know when they are forgiven unless we say it out loud to them. So, if that is true, why do we need to forgive them at all?
We forgive others to not only heal them but also to heal ourselves. When we forgive, we acknowledge the pain, release the sorrow and allow ourselves to move forward. It is that simple, yet not always easy to do. Once we figure it out though it becomes much easier to forgive and let go.
By forgiving, we give ourselves the gift of freedom. Freedom from the pain, the hurt and all the emotions that go with them. We can begin to look at what was done to us factually and not emotionally.
Sometimes, the person we need to forgive the most is ourselves. We hold ourselves to a higher level of standards at times and as such we end up hurting ourselves when we fail. We lose our temper or judge ourselves too harshly at times. Our failings can make us sad, angry and even resentful.
We are not perfect people, we will make mistakes. It is in acknowledging this, and in forgiving ourselves for our failures and weakness, where we rise.
Whether someone has hurt you, or you’ve hurt yourself, forgiveness is the solution. So, lift the burden from your shoulders, unload the weight and emotional baggage you carry and forgive.
There is no greater gift you can give someone, or yourself, than the gift of forgiveness.
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