Forgiveness

FORGIVENESS

When I was young, I would get so confused between anger and hurt. If someone hurt my feelings, I would then start to feel angry. I really hated feeling angry. I wanted to be always full of light and love. What was this emotion? Why did I feel it? How could I make this feeling go away? 

As I matured, I first had to accept that I was sensitive and that sensitivity was a beautiful and useful thing. I realized that when my sensitive self got hurt and then had feelings of anger, that this was a part of life. The only thing I could “do” was learn how to better understand these human emotions and find coping skills. 

For most people, anger stems from hurt feelings, and that hurt usually comes from not being understood. Emotions are very complicated, especially in dealing with love and rejection from our loved ones. The sting of rejection or not being understood is hard for all of us.

So here is what I have learned and am still learning EVERYday and will continue to learn . . . Seek to forgive. Seek to understand. Seek to evolve and grow from these experiences.

Recently, our meditation teacher at Stone Wave - Michael LaFemina was sharing with our Meditation 101 class a simple mantra to consider when hurt or anger come ‘a knockin’  . . .
”I am the calm in the eye of the storm”
”I am the calm in the eye of the storm”

But what gives us the power to be the calm?
Forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not easy though.
Forgiveness takes strength.

You have to work at it.
It is an action.
An action of self love first and foremost.

If you choose to hold on to the hurt and allow the anger, then you are part of or in the storm - getting tossed to and fro. Holding on to hurt feelings or anger really just hurts you. . . and people who are hurt are prone to hurt others. All caught up in the storm together. 

So forgiveness allows us to break away from the cycle of hurt. Get out of the storm. Forgiveness gives us the strength to walk in peace. Stepping into the center of the storm. 

Peace is powerful and can melt tension and bring healing. Forgiveness allows for the cycle of healing. Forgiving yourself and others, can help you begin the healing process today.

None of this is meant to simplify the journey towards forgiveness. It is truly not easy.  Michael would add that “anything that happened to us can also be viewed as happening for us. If we look at things as having happened for us, there is inherently something to be gained and learned from every experience.” This approach makes the journey to forgiveness enriched; allowing us to evolve. 

Namaste.
Liz Glover Wilson