“To forgive or not to forgive, that is the question.”

We are often resistant to forgiving because we don’t want to let go of the powerful emotions created inside us as a reaction to what the other person has done, causing us pain and suffering as well as loss. Strong emotions make us feel alive and give us a sense of control and power. We feel like powerful wreckers of vengeance rather than helpless nobodies.

We also find it easier to remember and focus on the negatives and feel that forgiving means forgetting.

It is often said, “Forgive and Forget.”

However, in order to forgive, it is not necessary to completely forget and find oneself in a similar situation again. We are called upon to learn the lesson, detach from the negative emotions and continue on our life journey.

Forgiveness is essential, forgiveness is key to living a rich life and fulfilled life.

Without forgiveness we are bent under the weight of resentment rancour, anger, frustration, dark thoughts and negative energies. Like attracts like and begins to concretise as time goes by, pulling one deeper and deeper into the quagmire of self-destruction.

Louise Hay states that resentment that is held for a long time shows up as cancer and she’s not the first one to say this. Negative emotions destroy our peace of mind and place our cells under stress, creating inhospitable conditions in our body.

There exists the universal law: “As you sow, so shall you reap.”

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction; in the balance of our lives, the equal and opposite multiplies exponentially.

It is not our responsibility to punish those who have harmed us.

There are higher authorities whose job it is to take care of it. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting, forgiveness does not mean that if you see somebody hurting somebody else, you simply close your eyes and walk away because the one who has taken part in the harmful deed needs to learn the consequences of their behaviour, according to the law of karma. They also need to be put away if they commit crimes, for the safety of others, which is part of our collective responsibility, because we cannot allow them to continue harming others, to prey upon others. Once you have put matters in the hands of the higher authorities, you can still let go of the anger, the outrage, the strong feelings of wanting to see justice meted out as you personally feel fit. Instead, bless these people and move on with your life. Everyone, without exception, will reap what they have sown. Concentrate your energies on creating something beautiful.

This is the law of karma simply stated; your actions have consequences in the positive and the negative. Once you’re aware of this, and understand it, it becomes easier to discern and do only those actions which will bring good karma to you.

Forgiveness actually releases you, it sets you free; free from the pain, free from the weight, free from resentment, free from the sense of human Justice, free from seeking revenge, free from the negative. Forgiveness sets you free to release your burdens and move ahead with your life, to focus your energies into creating a more fulfilled life for yourself.

When you put aside the burden of your human need for justice, when you put aside your anger, when you no longer have the need to seek revenge, that is when a miracle happens. That is when you can concentrate those very energies towards creating something beautiful for yourself, to feeding your life Projects.

Therefore learn to forgive. Practice forgiveness. Practice compassion. Practice Freedom.

Trust me, once you experience it, you understand the miracles it brings and then when you experience it again and then again, it really becomes addictive.

As the great masters say, “Forgiveness sets you free.”