Forgiveness, what a concept!

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The power of forgiveness can never be overstated.  The power of forgiveness can never be taken for granted.  The power of forgiveness is sometimes one of the hardest things to come to grips with.  Most of us have had to forgive in the past.  At times it may have been simple and at other times almost impossible.  Ironically, what seems to be the most difficult things to do is forgiving ourselves. Yep, I said it, forgiving one's self is often the most difficult thing in life.  There's an old saying that we should forgive and forget.  Easy to forgive, not so easy to forget.  When we mess something up we often refuse to forgive ourselves, and this is a monumental mistake.

Why is forgiving ourselves so important, and at the same time so difficult?  Why, if we are to forgive and forget, can't we seem to forget when we are the one who is involved with the need to forgive ourselves?  All good questions, and ones that I hope I can answer for you.  The first reason we find it so difficult to forgive ourselves is because we simply haven't been taught the importance of it.  If you are constantly holding a short coming or a mistake over your head how will you ever get over it?  You won't and that my friend is why you will never forget about it.  If you are constantly thinking about all your mistakes how can you move forward with anything in your life?  We have to realize that because we are human we are imperfect beings.  Now we are perfect in our design, but because we have been conditioned by man since birth we are anything but perfect in our actions.  This is no fault of your own, but rather the fault of well intentioned people who tried to tell you what you could and couldn't do in life.  The conditioning of man must be removed from your life if you are ever going to take your rightful place.  Now I'm not saying that all that you have been taught is wrong, but to be honest a large segment of it is wrong.  We spend so much time trying to comply with the list of do and don't that we never spend any time simply figuring out who and what we really are.  Let's be honest, you have been told what to do, what to believe, and what you should be since you were born.  If you are depending on others to chart your life path, you are already going in the wrong direction.

The main reason we find it so hard to forgive is because we have been conditioned to think that mistakes or mishaps are always our own fault and it's happening to us because of some short coming.  Utter hogwash if you ask me.  We make mistakes because we are human.  We cover up mistakes because we have been told if we are not perfect then you need to leave.  People in authority need to learn that there is no such thing as perfect.  What we need to do is accept our imperfections and be happy that we always have a chance to make things right, even if we messed up in the first place.  People who think they are perfect are fools.  Fools, fools, fools.  It really pisses me off when I see people who have elevated themselves up to such a majestic height that they are beyond mistakes.  It doesn't work that way people.  We are fallible.  We will make mistakes.  If you can admit that, then you can forgive any mistake you make, no matter how big or small.

We have been told that if we neglect history we are doomed to repeat it.  The same line of thought can be said about forgiveness.  If we are unable to forgive ourselves we are doomed to repeat it, time and time again.  As the picture states, when we forgive we are set free. We are set free from expectations.  We are set free from judgments.  We are set free from feelings of unworthiness.  You are in fact so worthy of every good thing.  The only reason most people don't see this is because they have fallen prey to the conditioning of man.  Man says we have to feel guilt and remorse.  Why should you feel guilty or remorseful for making a simple mistake?  Did you do wrong on purpose or did you do wrong simply because you're human?  If you did it on purpose, shame on you.  If you made a mistake because you simply made a mistake, cut yourself some slack and make sure you forgive yourself.  No one is going to go through life never making a boo boo.  No one is going to go through life without just one "Oh Shit".  No one is going to go through life not knowing what it's like to come up just a little bit shy of the mark.  The sooner we can accept this, the sooner we can learn that self forgiveness is the only way to go.

I've made more mistakes in my life then I'd like to admit.  I never planned on making the mistakes, they just happened.  If I was unable to forgive myself then I would be nothing more then a hurting, empty individual.  Will I make mistakes in the future? Most likely, but that's OK.  Will I come up short on a goal or dream? Probably, but that's OK.  Will I be able to forgive myself?  Absolutely, and that's very OK.  It's time that you start looking at things differently and start cutting yourself some slack.  Forgiveness is freeing.  Forgiveness is uplifting.  Forgiveness is really your only option if you want to be all that you can be.  Forgiveness is a great concept, but a concept you need to buy into.  Forgiveness is the first step in taking your rightful place in the universe.  Forgiveness is what you should always strive for, and it is something that will never ever hurt you.

We all know what it's like when we have not received forgiveness from others.  It hurts, and you wonder what you did to deserve such a slap in the face.  Well, it's the same thing when you can't forgive yourself.  Don't put yourself in a box by not being free to forgive.  Life is so worth living, why would you want to blemish it by a failure to forgive.  Trust me, when you love yourself you are so much better at loving others and receiving love from others.  If you can learn to forgive yourself, then it is much easier to forgive others and receive forgiveness as well.  Trust me, walking free from guilt, shame, and self-loathing is much better then carrying those things around with you.  Trust me, and yes forgive yourself for all the things gone by.  It's never too late.