Forgiveness

The ability to forgive has been a countless battle among all generations. People have a hard time forgiving themselves or others who may have wronged them. It's a topic that needs to be discussed, it's a force that needs to tackled. On my journey to better understanding, I have been trying to come to terms with this.

Forgiveness is a HUGE word in the christian community. So many will tell you how the lord tells you to forgive and to not hold onto evil. They say "God will handle it", and "How can you expect God to forgive you of your wrong doing but you won't forgive others of theirs". I know these , I believe them to be true. But even with knowing , I still battle with the concept. 

I suppose in order forgive you must first learn to trust. Trust and forgiveness come hand in hand. Why? Because, when you trust someone, you are giving them the power to one day let you down. No one is perfect, so of course someday they will betray your trust in one way or another. So with that, you must learn to forgive knowing that you'll have to come face to face with the harsh reality that everything isn't always good. If a person holds onto anger and resentment, they are killing their soul. I'm no stranger to heartache and pain, but I'm also no stranger to the word of God. Even when I know I've been wronged, I find a way to press on. But I've noticed that even though I kept pushing forward I was dying inside. I've held onto pain, to anger, to hurt feelings, to my crushed pride, to a dark past, to a painful reality and most importantly to a self hatred. I've pushed forward only to notice I wasn't getting very far. I became a crippled girl in a woman's body , trying to walk on my feet only to notice my legs weren't moving.

To forgive is to release. You are releasing the pain, releasing the bond that has been tied to issue. When you harbor those feelings , you are polluting your mind, your soul and your body. The person whom you are mad with doesn't feel none of the things you feel. They still go on with their lives, they can't feel your pain. So who is hurting more? You or them?!They say you can't change the past, and that you must learn to accept it and move on. What if the thing that has held you back for so long is too big to just move on from? What if the person I can't forgive is the person in the mirror?

 I want to be able to set myself free from the pain, but I have to learn how to do that correctly or this battle will never be over.

How do you forgive someone who hurt you? How do you forgive yourself for the things you've done wrong?