Forgiveness – Your Path to Inner Freedom

After you think the word “forgiveness,” a lot of different thoughts probably enter your head. The concept of forgiveness is loaded with meanings that you picked up in childhood—from your family, school, any religious training you received, and from the media.

What does forgiveness mean to you?  Does it mean to simply “let bygones be bygones” or to brush a painful conflict away into a vague place of denial? Does it mean that you must wait until time seems to make the details of the conflict go underground, and you’ve forgotten the intensity of the situation?

Perhaps you feel that you might be weak if you forgive, or that the conflict will just happen again and therefore, you wouldn’t be safe if you forgive. Maybe you’re waiting for an apology before you can forgive someone for his or her crime against you.

Or perhaps you know that if you forgive others for their shortcomings, sooner or later you’ll need to forgive yourself for yours. And that can seem like an overwhelming task. Impossible, maybe. So you leave the whole can of forgiveness worms alone.

Yet forgiveness is an essential ingredient for anyone desiring a truly happy life.  Holding on to the past with all its colorful, painful scenarios just brings more suffering. When you shut down and refuse to move on, your heart shuts down, too. The light can’t get in.

Mahatma Gandhi once said ~ “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong”. (Tweet this)

Forgiveness Gives Us Blessings

As an ordinary person who’s gone deep into exploring the healing aspects of forgiveness in my own life, I’d like to share with you the blessings that I’ve found. Forgiveness has helped me so much that I’ve become a passionate crusader to awaken the world to its glad tidings. For without it, we remain lost in conflict, pain and violence of all kinds. With it, peace begins.

The kind of forgiveness I teach is an expanded version of what you learned in childhood. It has a spiritual component, but you don’t need a religion to forgive. It helps you let go of past burdens, so you can feel free to move on and accept the goodness of Life.

It changes and uplifts your vibrational field, so that you can break patterns of fear and confusion that were based on past trauma. It heals your heart and allows you to finally relax. This is the path to peace and your inner freedom to truly be who and what you are: an eternal being of light, temporarily having a human experience.

To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness. ~ Robert Muller (Tweet this)

Necessary Ingredients for Forgiving

In order to forgive someone or yourself in this new way, you’ll need some support. Here is a list of some of the things you’ll need.

• Honesty about how you really feel and think about the conflict
• An open heart and a curious mind
• Willingness to learn about Life as it is, and willingness to let go of past pain, fear, hurt and confusion

If you’ve got Honesty, Openness and Willingness (H.O.W), you’ll be well-equipped for the task.

Another thing you’ll require is the ability to slow down and really turn within to access both your fear and your love. In addition, you’ll need some trust or faith in a Higher Power (the loving God of your understanding).

No matter what the circumstances, who was involved, or how long ago the conflict occurred, forgiveness is always available. For you and me, forgiveness in this new way involves giving our suffering away to the Divine in a deep prayer of release. We let go and say to God, “Please, help me. I can’t do this alone. I’ve run out of options. Show me what to do to become peaceful once again.”

I’ve found that using my breath is very helpful when I’m ready to let go of the pain of my past. Try focusing on your exhale breath, making it long and slow, as you release all of your memories, thoughts and feelings out of your body. Give them away . . . and when you feel complete, begin inhaling goodness, light, and love to take their place.

If you wish, end with a sincere prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving. Forgiveness is really a trade—we give up our grievances and receive peace and blessings instead. And it’s all given for free.

Are You Ready?

Everyone forgives when they’re ready, and not a moment before. So turn within and ask yourself if now is a good time to contemplate the possibility of forgiveness as a path of healing in your life. You may need more time to feel you are upset if the conflict is fresh, so don’t rush it. Feeling all your feelings, just as they are, will give room for forgiveness in its right timing. Begin whenever it feels right.

Forgiveness is the path to your inner freedom. So, find your freedom with forgiveness!

Our guide includes the following areas

1.  Forgiveness – Your Path to Inner Freedom (this article)
2.  4 Common Blocks to Forgiving Someone
3. 13 Health Benefits of Forgiveness
4. How to Forgive Someone Even When It Feels Practically Impossible
5. Are You Waiting for an Apology Before You Forgive?
6. Are you Ready to Forgive?