light&love: forgiving & moving forward
i have decided that i really need to practice what i preach…
i talk a lot about #lightandlove, but it is really hard to practice sometimes. i try to focus on accepting that people’s actions are almost never about me, and that i should be easy and breezy and let things go. wwooooosssaaaahhhhhhhh, and all that.
but sometimes i just cannot do it.
over the weekend, i was sitting on my couch being really pissed off at someone who hurt me. i had prayed and prayed about this situation, having been in the same predicament many times before – each time resulting with me feeling the exact same way. as i was sulking, i decided to clean out my dvr, and came across an episode of oprah’s “super soul sunday” featuring my favorite spiritual guru, marianne williamson. i have spoken about her numerous times, and have made no secret about the fact that her book “a return to love” completely changed my life.
i am a strong believer in prayer. i believe that when you ask God for help, he answers – even if it’s not the answer you want. for me, answers often come through encounters with strangers, conversations/experiences with friends, things i read, or things i see on tv. so, as i sat watching, i was struck by something she said about forgiveness:
“if you really want to forgive someone, pray for their happiness for 30 days straight. at the end of those 30 days, either the person’s behavior will change, or you won’t care what they do anymore…”
don’t you love that? i know the initial thought of praying for someone who has wronged you may be hard, but just try it for a few days. it will really make you feel better. i love this concept, because either of the outcomes would be amazing. and at this point, i really don’t have a preference as to which one occurs, because i have learned enough to know that God protects us from things that are not good for us. so after we pray we have to be willing to let things go.
i am on day four of my road to forgiveness, and i feel better already.
later i was researching quotes, and found these powerful words from deepak chopra:
“whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. there is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution.”
i totally believe this! and this has helped me understand that there is no need for me to consider this situation a mistake, or look at it as something to regret or feel bad about. it was put in my path for me to learn the perfect lessons i need to learn. in this case, i think the lesson is that everything isn’t meant to last forever, and sometimes people serve a particular purpose in your life. and just because we can’t move past a particular plateau, it doesn’t mean the person is bad, or that anything is wrong. what i created in my mind just wasn’t the purpose of our connection …and that’s okay.
and when i look at it that way, there is really nothing to forgive.
even more confirmation came via a conversation with one of my good friends, who is ubs smart and a complete spiritual goddess. she said:
“chile, just open up your hand and let go. i had a tarot reader tell me once that my problem is that i try to stand in front of people when i see them heading toward a cliff and what i need to do is step aside and watch them go over. then help them up once they reach the bottom.”
this could not be more true when it comes to my particular situation! i feel so blessed to have received all of this comforting information during my time of need. and i will stand strong on these concepts knowing that they will ultimately enhance my life, and these are the messages God sent me especially about my situation.
i find that to be incredibly exciting :-) i am much more at peace, and will confidently move forward.
so i guess the moral of this post is twofold:
1. forgiveness is possible by praying for those who have hurt us
2. when you pray pay attention to the messages the universe/God sends you…the answers are always there
i am sure i will fall short again, and have momentary relapses where i am more negative than positive, but at my core i know the truth, which is a pretty good start.
that is all. as you were…
i’m sure you have something amazing to add. click here to #getinvolved!
