THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS
Choosing Forgiveness
My journey to finding inner healing and inner peace.
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As I pen this story, I celebrate that I have uprooted the unforgiveness that entangled me.
Transparency is my compass. It guides me as I now share a hidden part of myself. Underneath my professional confidence and personal pride in my outward appearance, something has haunted me.
Like a dark cloud that overshadows the bright rays of the sun, it followed me. Like a strong adhesive, it relentlessly bonded to the core of my being. Like a scary nightmare that begged me to open my eyes, the reality of its presence awakened me.
My inability to unconditionally forgive others held me hostage.
Breaking Free
Blinded by the personal flaw of unforgiveness for as long as I can remember, I have lived the best life that I have been able to. Failing to come to terms with this negative character trait kept so many phases of my being confined to chains. Complexity resulted. Here is the reason why.
I lacked the inner capacity to let go of past traumatic incidents that people caused in my life. Whether harmful spoken words were uttered against me or derogatory actions launched against me, the trauma broke my spirit. Yet, I held these hurtful words and actions close to my heart like valued treasures. I refused to release them.
But a recent paradigm shift enlightened my spirit.
Discovered Light
The weight of unforgiveness became a heavy burden for me to continue carrying. It oppressed me. It gave me a horrible feeling because I was a kinder person than the unforgiveness reflected. As a Christian, I knew I needed to strive to become forgiving like Jesus. Forgiveness was the right path for me to take in life because it mirrored the character of God.
I made a conscious decision. I decided I would no longer hold the debt of unforgiveness against people who offended me. I willfully embraced forgiveness.
For all the people whom I was formerly unable to forgive, I can now say,
“I forgive you”.
Inner peace and happiness are now mine. My broken spirit is now healed. Forgiveness has made that possible.
Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired Teacher and School Administrator. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com, and her YouTube Channel is Ignite Family Engagement with Dr. Deborah M. Vereen.
Copyright © 2024 Dr. Deborah M. Vereen. All rights reserved.
