I watched Oprah’s Lifeclass on Forgiveness and I feel that it was extremely powerful. Even though I learned years ago about the power of forgiveness, I was still able to find some useful information in this particular Lifeclass. It was a great reminder of how powerful forgiveness can be and how far I have come. I just know that it was able to touch others in the way that it touched me.
Something that Oprah said really resonated with me. She said that forgiveness is “letting go so that the past does not hold you prisoner/hostage.” For many, many years – over a decade actually – I held onto a lot of pain, anger and resentment which stemmed from my childhood up to my early 20’s. I really was a prisoner to my past and was the queen of “why me?” Slowly, as I decided to reclaim my life and live more consciously, I learned the importance of forgiveness. It has opened up places in my heart for amazing things to pour in.
I no longer hold grudges in the same manner that I did before. At times I may be angry or frustrated with something or someone but it is easier for me to forgive and move on with my life. In the past I would be so hung up on the things going wrong that I was missing out on the things that were going right. I learned that forgiveness was for ME and there are times I wish I had learned that when I was a teenager. Yet I know that the lessons and teachings that I need will not show up until I am really ready to learn.
When you forgive you are taking back your power. It doesn’t mean that what the other person did was right or that you are ok with it. It means that you are letting go of that negative bond you have with them and reclaiming any power that they have over you by being angry with them.
As I get older and more grounded I experience less things to be angry about in general and it is easier to let things go as well. Life is far too short to be stuck in a dungeon of pain and hurt when there is so much love and joy to experience once you let go. I hope that if you are still holding onto something that deeply bothers you that you can learn to forgive and move on with your life. It is so freeing and you will feel so much better once you do.
Is it easy for you to forgive or do you hold grudges?
Who do you need to forgive?
