The Doorway to Forgiveness
When something in the past is forgiven, it ripples through the present and into the future.
Once you forgive someone—including yourself—compassion will flow. It allows you to get to the root cause and see what actually happened and why. It does not mean that what was done was okay, but it allows for understanding and awareness so you can find the hidden gift in what happened. Maybe now your radar can more easily be tuned to spot someone approaching with an unhealthy agenda.
Words and promises are not enough to sustain trustworthy relationships. Empty words are simply that—empty. How you treat yourself matters because you get to learn who and what is healthy and unhealthy for you. Actions truly speak louder than the words of someone’s philosophy.
The deeper question is, do you want to stay in a story that continues to hurt you or do you want to heal, learn how you do have the capacity to forgive, and walk in new shoes so they can no longer harm you?
Healing is at the Root of Being Present
It takes conscious awareness to break a harmful, habitual practice. It is possible when you are willing to have the intention of healing. Each of us can stop dwelling on how we were wronged or deceived. We can consciously decide not to play the victim by moving on with our life.
We can also try to understand the root cause of why we were harmed by imagining what it would be like to be them. Then we can let go of them and the story entirely if we want to, or we can choose to reconcile.
It is something I have been practicing and playing with, since I don’t want to carry my pain and hurt with me everywhere I go. When I began this practice, it was hard. But as I started to observe my own role and understand the root causes, it became easier.
Forgiveness Starts with Us
When you see the world as your playground, you can practice and experiment by taking small steps to build your personal navigation system and your confidence. Maybe you can prove to yourself that you can accomplish things you didn’t truly believe you could. It is always healthy to start with small dreams and explore your own boundaries.
The best revenge is no revenge; the best revenge is living well by learning to understand that our energy and attention are our most valuable assets, and how we invest and use them is up to us.
It takes forgiveness of ourselves and courage to find our own path in our own way.
Otherwise, we simply relive our history over and over with reruns and sequels of the same story.