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Forgive Yourself

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Forgiving yourself is one of the most powerful things anyone can do. It is not always easy, when we have done, said, or thought things that we wish we hadn't. However, the sense of joy and peace that is felt when we forgive ourselves is one of the most beautiful things we can experience in this life. It is the feeling of heavy shackles being thrown off and remembering we have wings to fly high and achieve magnificent things.

Since most people think that forgiveness is about other people, let's start there and work towards why forgiving yourself is a much more powerful approach. It may surprise you!

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Forgiveness is Real Strength, Not Weakness

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Anger and hatred are toxic forms of energy that bear resemblance to strength. However, they are energetically very weak because the person holding on to anger or rage is themself consumed by it. A metaphor for this is someone who holds hatred towards nature burning down a forest, not realizing they will also become destroyed by the flames.

Holding onto grudges, harsh judgements of self and others, petty annoyances, irritations, etc. is common practice because people think they are showing strength and punishing the person who they wish to get back at. The only one you punish when you engage in these behaviors is yourself. You will suffer greatly from the hurt that you cause. This is not real strength, only total forgiveness is true Strenth and Peace.

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Everything & Everyone Can Be Forgiven

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No matter how horrible an individual or an action may seem, it can be forgiven. In fact, it needs to be forgiven in order to achieve total acceptance of life. Forgiving a person or an action does not mean you are condoning or supporting the behavior! It's not saying that it is ok to inflict physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain onto others.

Forgiveness is having the maturity and vulnerability to let the seed of compassion grow within your heart. As it grows, you will see that everyone makes mistakes and no matter how unforgivable these acts may seem, they can always be re-deemed or redefined into the opportunity for something greater.

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We Suffer Most From Not Forgiving Ourself

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If we don't give ourselves the love and nourishment of our own forgiveness, we will suffer. What we can do is realize that everything that happens in life has a higher purpose. I know this may seem cliché but it's a very deep truth, so do not skip it. Keep reminding yourself that you are where you are because of where you were before. These teachings are very simple to understand, but the mind confuses us with its desire to be complex or intellectual. All we need to do is have the purity of heart of a two year old and we will see just how easy it is to forgive.

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Part Two

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Now that we have addressed the forgiveness of "others", let us look more in depth. We will see how forgiving yourself is more powerful than that. We will also discover something surprising at the end.

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Forgiving Yourself Is the Most Advanced Form Of Forgiveness

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Forgiving yourself is actually quite intense because we tend to be our own worst critics. Through the stress of life many traumatic situations occur over the years, and we do not usually process them and heal, unfortunately. Instead, they pile up. So the guilt is like a rubbish pile that keeps being stacked higher and higher and stinking worse and worse without being cleaned away.

There is also an armed guard in front of the garbage dump that tries to convince us that we don't deserve to be forgiven, what we have done is too horrible, and in fact, we don't even deserve the gift of life.

That armed guard is the part of ourself which gives into shame and despair. What it's saying is not true at all! We all are worthy of love, respect and forgiveness. So please don't listen to the lies that this side of yourself is telling you.

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Forgiving Yourself Lets You Experience Life More Fully

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When we hold on to regret and shame about what has happened in the past, we are walking around carrying lots of weight. We cannot really experience all of the awesome sights, people, and beautiful things in life. When we don't forgive ourselves the world seems very grey and dim, and life loses its flavor. It's like someone wearing twenty layers of clothing in the summer. It is very uncomfortable and heavy, and they can barely even move because they are so constricted!

So we begin with the most superficial layers (things that are easy to forgive) and work towards things that are difficult to forgive (things that we may have even forgotten because they are too painful.) Eventually we will be standing bare before the light of reality with nothing to hold us back or weigh us down. Then we can drink in the loveliness of life through every pore of our being and feel the bright sun on our skin!

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Forgiving Yourself Is A Process of Surrender

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If you are reading this and getting worried, you should know that forgiving is a natural process of surrender! So that means you don't need to sit here thinking "Ok, now I will forgive such and such, after that, I'll get to this other thing." All you need to do is stop fighting the part of you that naturally desires to heal.

We have to stop fighting the healing process, which is intelligent and will choose the proper order for things to be healed in. So don't worry too much about how it will happen, just start by realizing that you want to be free from what holds you back. In time, you will gain more and more courage and understanding that will allow you to do what you need to do in order to heal.

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Forgiving Yourself Fully Will Make You Realize There Is Actually No One Else To Forgive!

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You are actually the only person that you need to forgive. In fact, it is not possible to forgive anyone else, because if they haven't forgiven themselves for what happened, real healing will not occur. So our idea of forgiving others is the teaching that is given before we can handle this deeper truth, that there are no "others" to forgive, only ourselves.

The best thing you can do to help along someone else's forgiveness process is cultivate the seeds of compassion and unconditional love within your own heart. This can help them reach closure and peace when they are ready by the silent encouragement this peaceful energy provides.

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Please consider forgiving yourself today, and every day!
We can change the world through this simple method,
One heart at a time.

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Wholeness,
@d-pend

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All images are public domain use.

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If you want to share something on the topic of forgiveness, let's discuss in the comments below! I wrote this article in a simple style because I hope that anyone could understand it. If you think it could help someone, please consider re-steeming it to spread the message of self-forgiveness! Thank you so much for your time and attention!

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