The Choice to Forgive

 As I sat down  this morning to write, I thought what do I want to share today. As many writers know, our thoughts are swarming around in our minds like dancing melodies, constantly ready to be sung. We normally have boxes upon boxes of stories, daily happenings, inspirational moments, laying around ready to be told. But this morning, I decided to write about that which is a present thought for me, forgiveness. I often wonder if this "word" is too common in today's society. Has its real purpose been trivialized to the point that the weight it carries no longer has significance in our hearts and minds. Through my life experiences I realized in order for me to function properly I had to truly forgive the individual(s) who I felt offended by. So, what is forgiveness really? I absolutely love dictionary.com so I went there to read their meaning of the word. They describe forgiveness as 1) the act of forgiving, the state of being forgiven. 2) the disposition or willingness to forgive. The definition of Forgive 1) to grant pardon for or remission of an offense, debt, etc. When reading the meaning what stood out to me was the word "willingness". It spoke volumes to me, communicating that forgiveness is a choice. I know for me personally when I didn't make the choice to forgive someone in my heart and soul I could feel a little piece of positive energy within myself diminish. I wasn't at peace fully. I was slightly irritable, especially around people or scenarios that reminded me of my offender(s). I was becoming bitter. I loathe negative energy, so bitterness for me was and is like a poison that slowly contaminates ones radiant glow. It acts as a shield, blocking one's blessings, true identity, creativity, purpose and inner peace (joy). For my own peace of mind I realized that it was beneficial and necessary for me to forgive. Sometimes you don't even realize how hurt you are emotionally, depending on the offense, until you make the decision to "let it go". You may physically release this hurt through crying immensely. Now, I am not saying that you have to interact with a person whose offended you to demonstrate forgiveness. Only you can make that judgment call; what I am saying is that we all should strive to have control over who we really are. I know for me being bitter and resentful isn't who I choose to be. But if I make the choice to walk in un-forgiveness I change the whole essence of who I am, the way I perceive things, how I interact and relate to others. No one is worth so much to me that I would relinquish that kind of control over to. I will not be imprisoned to another's actions. I have decided to live empowered. Also, if we find ourselves as the one who has offended, please let's not find ourselves so prideful that we dismiss humility and seek out forgiveness from those we have wronged. May we all acknowledge and recognize another persons perspectives and feelings and make the choice to sincerely understand them. Let us create an atmosphere of harmony and power wherever we may go.  Until next time I hope you enjoy your day.

p.s. please leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts.

                                                                                                             Stay Calm & Sparkle,
                                                                                                             Niki Flow