Let Go

If I asked you who made your life miserable in High School, or at your job, or one of the friends you've had, I'm pretty sure you can picture someone in your mind.  I know  I can.  I have a few people in mind that have really made my life very hard.
This post is about what holding a grudge does to your body and how the miracle of forgiveness can right that wrong.  Forgiveness is the mental or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation, or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishmnet or restitution.  Well, that's at least what Wikipedia says.  And we all know that is easier read than actually done. 

Holding a grudge is like actually holding bitterness inside of you.  You're body is essentially in constant stress because subconsciously your mind is thinking about the wrong that was done to you.  And when you can't let go of something you'll constantly think about it.  Maybe not every day or every week, but often enough to know that when it does happen you perspire more, your heart races faster, your blood pressure goes higher, and your facial features become more distressed.  And it's not like you feel this as a one time thing.  Whenever you think about it your body releases stress.  And we all know what stress can do to your body overtime.  Doctors are actually finding in their studies that bitterness affects the healing rates of cardiovascular patients and their overall sense of wellness. 

Wouldn't it be great if we could let go of that?  You're probably thinking, "I've tried already and it's too hard and I can't accept what they did.".  But, let's be clear, forgiveness doesn't mean that we approve, accept, dismiss, or condone what someone else did.  Forgiveness is about setting yourself free and you can do that by releasing the past so it no longer has control over your thoughts or the way you feel. 

Forgiveness can increase our health benefits on all levels; mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.  Forgiveness can also decrease someone's chances of alcohol or drug abuse. 

While giving forgiveness may not always be easy, it is always worth it.  If it is hard, pray for guidance.  I know the one thing that helped me in forgiving others was to pray for their well being.  It helped me to understand that even though I did not accept what they did, they were still a child of God and was still a good person.  Once you can feel in yourself the good in the other person and feel that you can let go of what was done, say it outloud.  You don't have to be infront of anyone when you say, do it when you're alone.  And say outloud, "I forgive you".  Once we can do this we will feel better and more free.  It is amazing to feel the actual weight lift, when you can accomplish this.  Now, you may not be able to do this overnight, but work on it for the next week. 

We also have to remember that we should not only forgive others, but we need to forgive ourselves.  Sometimes you may hear the saying, "We are our own worst enemies".  That can really be true.  When we can't forgive ourselves, we can't move on.  You can never expect to actually improve when you are holding yourself back.  Stop being angry with yourself.  Stop being afraid to forgive yourself.  Stop thinking you don't deserve it.

Don't be held back.  If you have all this stuff bottled up inside and you never forgive others or yourself, there is no room for improvement because it's taking up space!  Let, it go.  Be free.  And find your strength.