Oftentimes it’s difficult to forgive the unforgivable acts of others towards us or those we love, and in some cases it’s difficult to forgive ourselves for allowing those things to have occurred in our lives.  But as we’ve often heard it said forgiveness is a critical component to our ability to heal and in many cases, critical to our ability to move on with our lives in a healthy way.  It’s not to say that we should not acknowledge the pain of the hurt, betrayal or loss, while attempting to ignore it.  No!  Acknowledging or ‘feeling’ the pain is equally part of the process towards healing the hurts of our past.  However, when you’re finally ready to move forward and stop rehearsing the pain of your past or break free from the chains that have bound you to it, forgiveness is the bridge; your bridge to freedom.

So how do I forgive when I or someone I love has been hurt so deeply, you might ask?  Well, the first step, of course, is that you must DECIDE to forgive.  The decision is an act of your will and not your emotions; designed to change the current course of your life so that you can truly be free to smile again… live again… and love again.

“Set your will to forgive and your emotions will follow (traceytwilliams.com).”