Forgiving- Even Forgiving the Unforgivable…

Sometimes people do things that seem unforgivable….and whether they feel remorse for how they have hurt you or another person or not, forgiveness is still a good idea. Why? Because when you withhold your forgiveness from them, it’s not hurting THEM….the person it hurts most is YOU. Withholding forgiveness from someone who has harmed you is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die…and it continues to give that person power over you. Therefore, by forgiving them, whether they deserve your forgiveness or not, you are really TAKING YOUR POWER BACK. You are giving YOURSELF a gift.  You have been a prisoner behind bars you may not even realize exist, and forgiveness pardons your sentence in full, releasing you back to the world as a free person! It is a sign of strength and character to be able to forgive someone, especially those who are not sorry… and it doesn’t mean that what they did is alright, or that you want them to remain in your life. It means that you are going to be kind to yourself and say “This burden is not mine to carry, so carry it for yourself from here.” Not doing so keeps you locked in that mental prison for someone else’s crimes…would you do that in a physical prison? Of course not!  So don’t do it in a mental or emotional prison either- you deserve FREEDOM! Offering your forgiveness means that you are saying that you are ready to stop hurting, that you have dealt with your pain and are ready to move forward into a future filled with happiness and better things.  Time is too precious to waste on the past… the past is a time that is gone and will never come back. When we hold onto grudges, we allow that person to mess up our present and our future, as well. So just forgive them so you don’t waste your own precious energy and time. And when you’re done with all of that, don’t forget to forgive yourSELF, too. For your shortcomings, mistakes, and even for allowing someone to hurt you. You’re only human and it all happens for a reason, so don’t beat yourself up.