The Healing Power of Forgiveness

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” John Green

Forgiveness is an important and powerful spiritual value and practice. It is a path and process to a more authentic connection with ourselves and each other. It is essential if we want to let go, move on, move forward, away from limiting past experiences and into the infinite possibility of the future.

Forgiveness Begins With Yourself:
"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.” August Wilson
We all make mistakes. We all have regrets for things we have said and done. We make mistakes and inflict pain on ourselves and others. Forgiveness starts with me, myself, I. As I experience and express authentic forgiveness for myself I am able to find authentic empathy and compassion for my mistakes and the mistakes of others, and this empowers true forgiveness and the practice of such for all.

Forgiveness Is Essential For Health and Wellbeing:
It has been said that holding resentment, anger and then even hatred for someone is like you taking poisin and and expecting the other person to die. We poisin ourselves; these emotions pollute and unbalance our spirit, mind, body integrity and show up as dis-ease. Resentment, anger and hate makes us spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically sick. Forgiveness releases these and returns us to the balance, harmony and peace of healthy spirit, mind and body integrity.

We All Make Mistakes:
As we practice the courage to look at ourselves with honesty and come to accept ourselves and our shortcomings with compassion and loving-kind, so are we empowered to treat others the same way. 

Forgiveness Creates a Better Word:
To forgive is to release and to let go of resentment, anger and even the ultimate result of resentment and anger, hatred, which in some cases results in violence. Forgiveness begins with you and it is the catalyst for empathy, compassion, and loving-kindness, which shows up in our lives and in the word as peace and harmony.

Guilt and Shame:
Guilt can be healthy and constructive. Guilt says to us that we have done something that is bad. We should feel regret and remorse for things we do that are hurtful or harmful to others. We should feel sufficiently remorseful to apologize and to do all we can to heal a relationship and make amends.

Shame is unhealthy and destructive. Shame says to you, not that you have done something bad, but that you are bad; you are unworthy; you are shameful. Shame usuallly is a self fulfilling prophecy, in that it convinces us that we are unworthy, and convinced of such we act according to that self image and lack of self esteem.

When We Make Mistakes: Making It Right ...
Acknowledge, accept, admit, apologize and make amends.
We all make mistakes and it’s an important and intergral part of living, learning and growing into a fuller experience and expression of our spiritual and human potential for good.

When is a Good Time to Forgive:
"Life is short, Break the Rules. Forgive quickly, Kiss SLOWLY. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret ANYTHING that makes you smile.” Mark Twain

Forgiveness is a way to live with integrity with the universal Golden Rule: do to others as you would have them do to you.

Blessings, 
Clive deLaporte L.U.M.



QUOTES:

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” Oscar Wilde

"Life is short, Break the Rules. Forgive quickly, Kiss SLOWLY. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret ANYTHING that makes you smile.” Mark Twain

"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” Steve Maraboli

"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.” August Wilson