5 Reasons Forgiveness Will Radically Change Your Life

To err is human, to forgive divine. And you’ll feel divine when you give in to the rejuvenating effects of forgiveness.

Learning to truly forgive can be one of the hardest things to do. When we hold on to grudges, pains, angers, criticisms, and judgements, we block ourselves from connecting to life’s natural abundant flow. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we are weak, in fact it means the opposite; it takes great strength to forgive, let go, mentally release a situation that has a tight grip over our hearts, and move on. Forgiveness does not mean what another person did was right; it just means that what’s done is done, and you recognize the need to mentally walk away from it so YOU can be free of the negativity. Forgiveness means you recognize that you are human and you are going to make mistakes and that’s all part of the evolutionary process of your life. No one said we were going to live this life without making any mistakes! (How would we ever grow without error?)

I speak from experience when I write about this topic. I know what it is like to struggle with forgiveness of others and forgiveness of myself. I grew up in an abusive environment, in and out of foster homes, and had a father who abandoned us at a young age. I have been so angry at my mother, and so angry at my father, for more than half my life. I have worked on forgiveness, and continue to do so every minute of the day, with every move that I make, with every action that I take. To forgive, or not to forgive, will affect your perception of life, your decisions, and your future. When I truly started to forgive and released what had happened to me and the people involved in the situation, my life radically started to change. Suddenly I was able to see life with more love, and able to love myself more! And that love is now reflected back to me by the universe. What I energetically put out, life gives back to me.

What I have learned is that you can do whatever you want to. You can control your brain and you can control your heart. It might take time, but ultimately you have to power to detach from anything that you want to. The choice is always yours. May you live your life through the eyes of openness and love. It is possible. Never give up. XO

Forgiveness increases love and peace into your life.

Forgiving is an act that frees up energy for you to allow more love into your life. Forgiveness will release negative energy and create space for positivity. This release of negative energy also creates more peace in your body, in your mind, in your heart, in all the cells of your body. When we forgive, we are not changing the past, but we are changing our future.

Forgiveness is empowering.

Forgiveness puts you in the present moment. Suddenly, you’re not clutching the memories of the past anymore. You are not replaying scenarios over and over and over in your head. You are empowered by living in the present moment. You are clear. You have more joy. When we are present, we can navigate our lives in the direction of our dreams. When we are present, we can tune into the messages of our heart to guide us to where we need to go. When we are not present, it is harder to listen because we are so focused and attached to the events of the past.

There is no forgiveness without gratitude.

And no gratitude without forgiveness. This one took me a long time to understand. You cannot truly live your life with gratitude until you can truly forgive others, and also yourself. We can stay mad forever or we can grow and evolve. We can stay stuck and miserable or we can absorb the lessons and move on. Forgiveness allows you to move forward. Gratitude allows you to move forward. And gratitude also puts you in the present moment.

Forgiveness is an act of self-love.

To forgive means to realize our energy is precious and we deserve to live our lives with the most energy and love possible. To forgive means that we do not let anyone take that power over the direction of our lives. To forgive someone else ultimately means we forgive ourselves. We give ourselves permission to love ourselves, to receive love, and to also give love.

Forgiveness feels so good.

It doesn't happen overnight. It can take years. It can take most of your life. But when one day you realize that someone no longer has power of you, that anger and hostility don't own you, it feels like an elephant just got off your chest and walked away. You feel lighter. And you can breathe. That's what forgiveness does. It tells that angry elephant to get off your chest so that you can breathe again and truly live.

When we forgive, we are not changing the past, but we are changing the future.

Learn more about forgiveness through others’ personal experiences!