I continue to practice forgiveness because it seems it’s the right thing to do. It’s a sense of knowing intuitively what is right and wrong with my thoughts and perceptions of others.
I feel at this point in my life that my ongoing work on forgiving, even for those little things, pops up daily. Of course those little things can be magnified so easily. Don’t you think? However, it does take some time to get there…yet when I do I feel lighter and hold a great deal more acceptance and even compassion in many situations. Forgiveness also happens to be a wonderful de-stressor!
Some time ago I read Paul Ferini’s Steps to Forgiveness. I thought I would share a bit of it with you!
Why do we need forgiveness?
Because every one of us has condemned ourselves. And every one of us has tried to work out of our self-hatred by projecting the responsibility for our problems onto others. But it just doesn’t work. Self-hatred remains self-hatred, even when other people become involved. Attacking others or defending against their attack does not lessen our deep-seated judgment of ourselves.
Deep down inside every single one of us is a wounded child who needs to heal. The process of forgiveness offers this child the opportunity to heal. It is a lifelong process that continues as long as we continue to judge others and ourselves. We aren’t going to stop judging right away, but we can begin to learn how we are wounded by the judgments we make. And, through self-acceptance we can bring love to those wounded places within.
Every act of acceptance neutralizes some judgment we have made. When you take responsibility for your peace you understand that you are the cause of whatever you think or feel. Every act of acceptance opens our heart to love. And love heals all wounds.