As I watched Debbie Ford’s video this week, I wrote down what I wanted to release from the past and forgive myself for, and there were a few things. She asks how you would feel if these burdens were removed from you, and I felt that I would be more self-confident and more loving without those burdens weighing me down.
I released my lingering burdens of guilt and regret from my past, and started a fresh slate.
Louise Hay says, to love yourself, you need to forgive yourself, because you did the best you could with the knowledge you had at that time, and not to blame your parents for your problems either, because they received a similar treatment from their parents, so they are also victims of other victims. They did their best, but they couldn’t teach us something they didn’t know.
Forgiveness is an act of love, and contains the word “give”. It is not easy to forgive if you,re hurting, but we all make mistakes, so we all need forgiveness. If we forgive, we are forgiven in return.
We find it hardest to forgive ourselves, because when we make a mistake, we feel guilty and ashamed, and continue to carry the burden long after the incident has passed. But mistakes can be great teachers if we are willing to change, and they can help us move forward in life.
It is easier to forgive others, because we also make mistakes. Instead of reacting in anger to something someone says or does, if we take time to get in touch with our loving feelings before responding to them, we can avoid future misunderstandings. But forgiving helps us more than others, as clearing negative emotions allows us to return to the present moment, where everything is fine.
In the Bible, Jesus says to the crowd who wants to stone a woman caught in the act of adultery: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:17. Because they were all sinners, no one cast a stone at the woman.
Also, Matthew 5:44 says: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”,
And Confucius taught, “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” Good advice on the “Golden Rule”.
And finally, from Mark Twain: “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
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photo credit: Mustafa Khayat via AlicePopkorn via