Forgiveness depending on the situation and who is involved can make things easier or harder to put effort into it. I was chaptered out of the Army in 1988. It’s hard to imagine forgiving those who caused the events that led to me wanting to end my life. Hard to forgive those who saw what was happening and said nothing. Hard to forgive your chain of command for not believing me. However, that is what God wants us to do. According to Harvard Health Online there are two sides of forgiveness.
Decisional and emotional. How true is that! Another truth they mention is that you are no longer trapped by the past actions of others. Can you relate? I think of how I am letting them take up space in my mind. There sometimes is a war going on between both sides of forgiveness and letting go. To help me as I am writing this instrumental meditation music plays in the background. It is easier to hold onto those emotions than to let go for good. Hopefully you and I will be able to put effort into trying to do this. Emotions can have claws that dig into our soul. They build roots and go deep underground within us.
We take things like this personal. Harvard Health Online says to first recall the wrongdoing. Try to understand the others point of view. Address your shortcomings. and commit to doing it. Write it down. Share with someone. They say it helps with the decisional part of forgiveness. Then when they pop back up remind yourself you already have forgiven.
It’s easy to become bitter and stay that way. Holding grudges is also easy to do. What does forgiveness mean for you? Basically, the person or persons have probably long moved on. In my case, I was 30 when I went in and am now turning 69 in September. Part of letting go would also include being aware of how another person feels.
Have been listening to the meditation music for a while now. It has helped me to ease up on the things that keep me holding on. When we do this, we are acknowledging what they did but not excusing it. You may feel like it lessens the wrong done. Your allowing for freedom within our mind, body and soul. Let’s work on this together. Having healthier relationships, improved mental health, lower depression levels, stronger immune system are some of the benefits for you and me to achieve. Step by step, moment by moment, day by day, you get the idea. Forge ahead. We may never reconnect with that person or persons. I will give my all, hope you join me on this journey. Live in the here and now.
Nothing should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified professionals.
