Forgiveness – A Way to Achieve Inner Peace

In his book Love Is Letting Go of Fear Gerald Jampolsky says :“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.”

Resentments are Corrosive

How often have you held onto a resentment about something that someone did or didn’t do?  How much peace did that bring you?  For me, the resentment sits and festers and eats away at my insides.  I might make passive or sarcastic remarks to the person, not speak to them or act in an actively aggressive manner towards them.  None of these behaviors make me feel more peaceful.  They might give me the satisfaction of being right.  I find, however, that I have a choice that I can either be right or I can be peaceful, it is hard for me to be both.  Often the person I am angry at may not even be aware of my resentment.  You may have heard the cliche that being resentful is like taking poison because I am angry at you.

What is Forgiveness?

The Mayo Clinic says this about forgiveness:

“Forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge The act that hurt or offended you might always remain a part of your life, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.  Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you deny the other person’s responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn’t minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life.”

Try it, you might like it.  Inner Peace can be addictive 🙂