The power of forgiveness

One of the hardest things to do in life for me, is forgiving the people that have wronged or hurt me, making it harder, if they were people that I loved. I've been through some serious ish in this lifetime. Some of it playing out like a bad Lifetime movie starring Tori Spelling. I've been abused, taken advantage of, lied to, cheated on, betrayed, stolen from, and taken for granted. (Not all by the same person, mind you). But the point I am trying to convey is that there are some shitty people out there that have done some shitty things to me. Shit happens. I'm sure every single person reading this blog can think of at least 1 or 100 examples of moments where they too have been wronged in this lifetime.

 

Without going into the grit of it, I'll just sum it up as some BAD life experiences. After all that I have been through though, I refuse to play the victim. My closest friends, and majority of people that I come in to contact with would describe me as a "positive little ray of sunshine". I try to see the best in all people and all situations. We're all capable of having bad moments. We've all made mistakes. We're not perfect. We're human.

 

I refuse to let anger consume me because someone chose to do something for their own insecure or selfish reasons. Being upset after you have been wronged is a normal reaction. Processing and grieving are also necessary steps. The most important step is however, forgiveness. It's hard to do, not everyone is capable, but I am so glad that I have been able to do this. It's honestly the best thing I've ever done.

The word Forgive is defined as "(to) stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake" or to "cancel (a debt)."

The above clip from Sex and the City, the movie, is my absolute faaaavooorite take on what it is to truly forgive. I'm in no way saying that you should become a doormat by any means. However, If you can get to the point of being able to forgive the people (or at least a few of them) that have ever harmed you or hurt you in any way, you will be forever changed. It's powerful. The ability of letting go of hurt and anger is freeing. It's one of the best things that you can do for yourself. You'll come out of it a better and stronger person. Have you been able to forgive the people in your life?

Please comment below and share any stories that you have of forgiveness :)

XOXO