The Power of Forgiveness

I have been spending a lot of time on Memory Lane lately. It stirs up all kinds of emotions. And it sparked the idea for this blog.

I read somewhere that it takes a stronger person to forgive than to hold a grudge. I couldn't agree more.

As I've made clear in this blog, I have made many mistakes in my life. Some of them so big that I held on to guilt for years. I couldn't forgive myself. And I tried to hide it away, tucked in the back of my brain. But sometimes, as I would lie in bed, in the darkest hour of night, it would come back to haunt me.

Then something changed. One night, as I was crying and hurting about the things I did, the lies I told, something changed. I saw in the darkness, a light. My eyes were closed and I saw "If I can forgive you, why can't you forgive yourself?" It was a question from God. It moved me. And from that moment, I have lived differently. I let the past go. I let my number one critic, myself, forgive me.

I spoke about my past recently with someone, and felt the guilt start to stir up again. I knew it wasn't healthy and that I needed to let it all go, for good. So I sent my apologies to some of the people I hurt and I washed my hands clean of it all. And I can breathe! Weights were lifted off my chest. I can see things a little more clear.

I am a person who can forgive others very easily but was holding a grudge against myself.

I can't express enough what a relief it is to forgive someone.

So if you're holding on to anger, hurt, confusion, or any other negative emotion, I challenge you to let it go. Forgive that person you've been refusing to speak to. Let it all go. See where it takes you. I guarantee it will only make you stronger and better.