I’ve got a topic that not many of us love to discuss, but it’s too important not to discuss. And it’s a substantial ingredient in our Evolving Higher. Ponder this with me for the next few minutes. Have you ever had someone close to you, maybe a family member, spouse, or close frien,d do something really hurtful to you? Maybe they broke your trust, or didn’t show up when you needed them? You may have experienced someone who deliberately set out to hurt you out of jealousy or out of their own pain. It could even be a stranger or someone you don’t know well who intentionally or unintentionally did something offensive or that hurt you.

These acts can leave you feeling angry, sad, frustrated, vengeful, or even violated and ashamed. Many of you can probably relate to having had some type of negative experience with others at some point that’s been hard for you to move past.

Well, today’s topic is about how we can move forward through The Power of Forgiveness. I understand that some things that have happened may make you say – There’s no way I’ll ever forgive that person, no way! But please hear me out. I have a few nuggets on this topic of forgiveness. My intention is to help you to better understand why it’s so hard then to consider what forgiveness can give you, not the offender, but you. Just ponder the possibility as you read that this info can help you to get unstuck and move forward.

Why this topic? I’ve seen and coached a number of people who hold on to the pain and hurt I described for weeks, months and sometimes years…dwelling in those negative feelings over and over and over. When they spend time with others, their conversation inevitably turns to their past ordeal.

So I chose this topic because no one can authentically evolve higher as a leader or personally when stuck in their pain, anger and frustration. And they are stuck because they refuse to access a release from their hurt. They can become so stuck that it interferes with the way they live, the things they enjoy or the goals they can achieve. It’s all because they cannot get past the negative feelings they have about someone or something that hurt them. If this resonates with you, I don’t want to see you live that way.

If you are having a tough time forgiving someone who put you through a very painful situation, let’s look at the number one reason it’s so difficult to forgive. When you hear someone propose forgiveness, what comes to mind? It’s likely that you feel you’re being asked to forget what someone did to you which is why it can be so hard to consider forgiveness.

So forgiveness is not about forgetting or discounting what the other person did to you. As Dr VanderWeele made clear, forgiveness is far more about freeing yourself than about the other person. Forgiveness is a process of releasing yourself from the pain of what happened. Forgiving is a way to more fully resume your life and move on…whether the person or people who hurt you ever apologize or are held accountable for what they did.

I can personally attest to how valuable it is to forgive. Here are some specifics that forgiveness gave me:

There are two key steps, not easy, but required:

Until next time, Be Forgiving and Stay blessed!

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