Giving up the hope that the past could be any different.*
My friend Michelle recently sent me a short video where Oprah quotes someone, whose name she can’t remember, giving a new definition of forgiveness.
I like that a lot.
I was working with a client yesterday who wanted to send her ex a letter explaining how she felt about his actions. This is someone she hasn’t seen in a year and a half and has only communicated with once in all that time. We talked about her desire to let him know about her lingering anger. I asked her why she thought he’d find that interesting. Odds are, he wouldn’t.
Just as she would be writing that letter for her own benefit, we forgive for our own peace of mind. Both acts have at their core the wish that the past could have been different.
When we forgive, we honor the Divine in ourselves and in others. We accept that we are all equal. We remember our innocence, as well as that of others. Forgiveness offers us the opportunity to digest toxicity and begin to heal. It allows us to no longer let someone else’s behavior affect our happiness.
Forgiveness is a deeply holy act.
When we refuse to see the Divine in others, we cut ourselves off from the Divine. We feel we have a right to be angry (and we do), but when anger is never allowed to dissipate, the poison eats only us.
How much better to step back into our true selves and let love be our source of power.
Who do you need to forgive? What action or circumstance are you willing to give up hoping that it could have been different? What are you waiting for?
*Here’s the short video. It’s just over a minute long. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1578859192161595