Forgive Everyone For Everything

"Forgiveness is for yourself because it frees you. It lets you out of that prison you put yourself in." Louise L. Hay

I love the saying "The best apology is changed behavior." Why? Because it is a good jumping off point to one's spiritual development. I know we are all guilty of committing terrible behavioral acts at one time or another. Some of us continue to do so, even today. But I personally forgive everyone for everything. Because holding onto acts of transgression, keeps me from emotional freedom. Not only that, but just as I said, we ALL are guilty of something at some point.  

Dont judge. But if you must, don't judge me for what I did. Judge me for what I continue to do. For if we continue to do something that causes another's pain, it defines your relationship with that person. It is possible to forgive and love, yet let someone go. There is no reason one should subject themselves to behaviors that are not in line with them. It is one of the very foundations that Nar-Anon and Al-Anon are built upon. You can hate the addiction, yet still love the addict. And while you love the addict, you need not enable them to destroy thier life. A lot of people have a hard time with this concept. 

Some may embrace the concept of forgiveness for religious reason. While I am not a fan of religions, using the Lords Prayer for example, it states "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." What this says to me is that, God will forgive me as I forgive others. And while I don't subscribe to the threat of eternal condemnation, if you're using the Bible as your guide, then forgiveness is paramount.  

For me, I believe that forgiveness offers us a clean slate. I place merit on what one is doing today, not what they have done in the past. There was a time when I was a young man that I lived a reckless life. Many of my friends and family told me how out of control I was, and that I was hurting people. It wasn't until I almost lost my life, that I was able to think about how I wanted my life to look and feel going forward. As they forgave me, that allowed me to forgive myself. {Yet another reason to forgive people.} It is easy to hate and hold onto resentment. But forgiveness, it's much harder, yet more rewarding. 

Throw away the spiritual development concept, and I'll give you one last reason to forgive. There are multiple health benefits associated with forgiveness. The science is clear and the studies have been done. Forgiveness simply leads to better health. Don't believe me? Google it. All I am saying is, if you can't forgive someone for them, consider doing it for yourself. Anything we can do to lighten our daily load is worth its weight in gold. Just as Lousie L. Hay said, "Forgiveness is for yourself because it frees you." It's time to be free.