Forgiveness Leads to Inner Peace

Forgiveness isn’t easy. Most of us carry emotional scars from people who’ve wronged us — sometimes years ago — and we hold onto those memories, not realizing the weight they bring into our daily lives. We may justify the bitterness or avoidance as protection. But what if the act of forgiving isn’t about excusing the other person… but about freeing ourselves?

One of your coworkers did something that really gets under your skin. You focus so intently on it that you can’t even get your work done. On your way home, you find yourself irritable to the point you snap at anyone who says anything to you, even if what they say has nothing to do with the situation. You get home, and all your family members know to stay as far away as possible because of the mood you are in.

There are a lot of people on this planet. So many in fact, that at least a few of them are going to do things you don’t like. The crazy part about this is, you are the one with the problem. They will continue to go on about their lives. People keep these kinds of things bottled up for days and even weeks. When this happens, there is no inner peace.

Try the following experiment. The next time someone cuts you off while driving, imagine they are on their way to an emergency at the hospital. If you looked at it from that perspective, can you blame them for driving the way they did? How do you think you will feel if you imagine this scenario? It will be more of a feeling of peace than tension.

When you are dealing with your coworker who has done something you don’t agree with, can you put yourself in their situation? Try to see what motivated them to act in that manner. If nothing else, forgive them and see what that does for your inner peace.

When you genuinely forgive people, you will let go of the anger and tense feelings towards them. They no longer have the power over you that they had when those feelings welled up inside of you. Of course, you can’t pretend to forgive them only to still be angry at them. You need to truly let it go, which is not easy for most people to do.

If you find it difficult to forgive people, keep in mind that you lose control of your emotions. As mentioned, it becomes your problem more than theirs. Step away from the situation and return to it when you are more self-composed. Play some high-intensity sports or do activities that will get your mind off of the situation. After you have calmed down, you will be in a better position to look at the situation differently.

Letting go doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re strong enough to stop letting that moment define you.

Resentment may feel like power, but it’s a trap. When we replay the hurt in our minds, we aren’t punishing the other person — we’re just re-wounding ourselves. And the longer we hold on, the more we identify with the pain.

“Change your conception of yourself and you will automatically change the world in which you live.” – Neville Goddard

You’re not the sum of what others did to you. You’re the sum of what you choose to become.

Forgiveness is how you stop carrying someone else’s mistake as your identity. It’s how you close the chapter, even if they never say sorry. It’s how you reclaim peace.

The peace you’re searching for isn’t waiting on someone else to make it right. It begins the moment you decide to let it go.