"The art of forgiving isn't for the other person, it's for you."

Forgiving others can be one of the hardest things to do. If I'm being honest, when people treat me bad, disappoint me, or let me down I could stay mad at them forever. I can 100% hold a grudge and I can do so for a very long time. If you upset me I can, and most likely will remember it forever. The truth is though, forgiving is actually good for the soul. The art of forgiving isn't for the other person, it's for you. If you choose to forgive, in the long run you will actually feel more at ease than you would choosing to hold a grudge or seeking revenge.

I've found throughout life people will constantly hurt you and disappoint you. That's just the reality of things. We are humans and we all fall short sometimes and end up hurting the people we love. There are a lot of good people in the world. That doesn't change the fact that good people mess up. How you react in a situation when someone disappoints you or hurts says everything about you. You're stronger than what they say, and your grace and forgiveness can actually teach them and change their heart.

For a long time, I didn't know how to forgive. I felt like I was nice person and when friends or other people treated me bad I didn't understand. I could never imagine hurting people the way people have hurt me. But I have. And sometimes I have, without even realizing it. The point is I use to want to stay mad at people forever. I couldn't believe that people said things and acted the way they did. I would hold onto their grief for long amounts of time and in the end it made me more stressed and hurt than I would've felt if I had just learned to forgive them and let go. Now forgiveness radiates from me.

Forgiving is saying "I choose to forgive you. Not because what I think you did is okay, but because I have accepted what you've done and no longer want to carry that grief around with me.”

Forgiving isn't easy. I'm not here to tell you when or how to forgive. Everyone is different and it takes time to learn a healing process that works best for you. I am saying though you will feel so much better when you finally choose to let that person's hurtful words and cruel actions go. Forgiving isn't saying that what someone did is okay. Forgiving is saying "I choose to forgive you. Not because what I think you did is okay, but because I have accepted what you've done and no longer want to carry that grief around with me." Forgiving others is for you so you can be happy and feel at ease.

Life is short and holding onto a bad memory is no fun. Carrying around someone else problems and putting them onto yourself just weighs down your happiness. It's not your fault when someone chooses to treat you poorly. That's their problem, but when you continue to carry those memories and hold a grudge those problems become your own, and you don't want that. Forgiveness gives you a sort of relief. When you forgive it's like all the tension you had in your life breaks through. You feel lighter and happier. Choose to forgive. Not for the other person, but for you so your spirit can finally feel happy and free.