Forgiveness. That word is often tossed about in hushed and almost reverent tones. It is the holy grail of one betrayed. Have you forgiven yet? We feel pushed to reach that nirvana, yet we are unsure how to navigate the labyrinthine path that leads us there. Nor are we even sure that we would recognize our destination once we have arrived. The trouble is that forgiveness will take on a different facade for every seeker and the path will vary depending upon who is stepping upon it. Even though forgiveness is an individual journey, there are some universal guideposts that can help you navigate your own way.
Understand What it is Not
Someone has wronged you. I get it. I’m not trying to take that away from you. Forgiveness is not a pardon. It is not excusing actions that are immoral or illegal. It is possible to accept the past, acknowledge the wrongs, but not be help prisoner by the actions of the object of your anger.
Blur
Forgiveness has always reminded me of one of those optical pictures where you have to relax your eyes and unfocus in order to see the image hidden in the pattern. If you look too hard and focus too much on absolution, it will remain hidden. Think of forgiveness like a shy kitten. If you lunge towards it and try to grab on, it will run away every time. Relax and soften and let it come to you.
Time
Forgiveness takes time. You can’t schedule it like an event upon a calendar (trust me, I tried). The time needed to forgive will differ for everyone. It doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you if it takes you longer than it did your friend. Be patient and allow it to unfold on its own schedule. I know, it is easier said than done, but that is the nature of this elusive beast.
Keep Living
Luckily, while you’re waiting for the forgiveness fairy, you can keep living. Don’t put your life on hold. Move forward and move on. Surround yourself with people that bring you joy. Play. Laugh. That ember that still burns inside does not weigh so much that you cannot move despite it. Live as though you have forgiven.
Gratitude
Gratitude and anger are mutually exclusive. Be mindful of what you have and (brace yourself, this is the hard part) what you gained from the person that you need to forgive. I know, your hackles went up. “That ^#%^&? How can I be grateful?? He/She did _______ to me!!” True. I’m not trying to take that away from you. You have a right to be angry. But you also have a right to see the good. Look for it.
Remove the Ego
We all find humor in the self-centered world of the 5 year old, yet we really haven’t evolved that much from kindergarten. When things happen around us, we have a tendency to believe that they happened to us. For example, your child comes home and immediately is defiant and argumentative. Your defences go up and you perceive your progeny’s behaviors as an attack. If you take a moment and breathe and remove yourself from the equation, you most likely realize that the instigation for the behavior is probably something that happened at school minutes or hours before. Spouses are no different. Perhaps you weren’t really a target after all, just collateral damage.
Humanize
We are familiar with the concept of putting someone on a pedestal when we idolize them. We essentially do the same when we demonize a person. It can be easy at those extremes to see a person as two-dimensional, flat. We conveniently remove those characteristics that do not fit our perception. The truth is that we are all human in our messy and sometimes contradictory three dimensionality. Allow yourself to see the human side of the object of your anger. Let your own humanness peek out as well.
Start With Yourself
It is amazing as you take the journey of forgiveness how much changes as your perspective moves. You may be surprised that the target, the object of your wrath has shifted to yourself. We don’t like to be angry at ourselves; it feels traitorous, so we often project it on another. Like with everything, you have to begin with yourself. Soften to your mistakes. We all make them. Be gentle with yourself yet firm in your intentions. Let it go. It’s okay.
How will you know when you have reached your destination? There is no placard that says, “You are here.” No one stands at the gate and hands you a medal. Perhaps forgiveness is best described as peace. I hope you can find your own nirvana. Please leave breadcrumbs for those who follow behind.
You can read about my own journey to forgiveness in Lessons From the End of a Marriage.
Thank you for this post. I’m still not fully forgiving in my situation. Not sure I ever will be, but you have detailed some wonderful advice here. Thank you. Love you blog, btw. You are helping a lot of folks here. Me, being one of them.
Thanks:)
Have you ever see the Princess Bride? The “mostly dead” scene kind of reminds me of forgiveness. Sometimes I think the best we can get to is “mostly forgiven.” 🙂
The Princess Bride is my favorite movie of all time! I can see what you’re saying…. R.O.U.S’s? “I don’t think they exist!” LOL!
🙂 I can quote that entire movie!
Oh, dont’ get me started! (Because I can CLEARLY not choose the cup in front of you…) 🙂
I found that this post has come at the right time for me, because it’s something that I’m struggling with. It has been a year and a half since my world changed forever. I want to forgive so that I can move on with my life and not be held captive by his actions, but it is still really hard to do. I hope that more time and healing with help me with the process
It does take time. More than we want. It has to operate on its own schedule.
Reblogged this on Outside The Fish Bowl.
Hurt and disappointment have piled up so high. I envisioned forgiveness at the bottom, underneath so that I have to process all of the bad stuff to get to it. But, I’m learning I need to find the forgiveness as the tool to process the pile of stuff or to make it melt away. I think your point of taking time is most important. But, the point of removing the ego mades the hurt double. I can remove the ego and see that his actions were about his character, his selfish needs and not about me. Then, the double-whammy of pain hits as I realize, he didn’t love me enough to think of me in that process. It hurts that his decisions, his actions were not about me. It crushes me. All my decisions had been about him, or partly about him, our future. Yes, forgiveness is out there under a rock somewhere.
Cool perspective. Thanks for sharing:)