Forgiveness is for You

“Anger: an acid that harms the vessel in which it is stored.” — Seneca

THE OBSTACLE

Forgiveness carries weight.

It comes loaded with history, still raw emotion, and all the judgements and justifications.

Forgiveness isn’t about someone else — it’s about you. We hold on to things long after they’re over. We replay them in the present and project them into the future. We don’t forgive, we keep carrying anger, frustration, hostility, envy, resentment, shame, guilt, and regret. These emotions show up every time the memory does, and they cost us dearly.

We feel them fresh while thinking about the past. We feel them now while imagining the future. It tenses our body, balls our fists, and raises our blood pressure. It is a thief of power and peace.

THE GIFT AND OPPORTUNITY

Forgiveness is for you, not them. It frees you.

This is not condoning, agreeing, or accepting what happened, this is a refusal to give any more power to it. This is reclaiming time, energy, and emotion.

It’s acknowledging that this cannot be changed now, and choosing not to let it keep damaging relationships or moments that matter. Forgiveness is a shift in ownership — taking back what you’ve been giving away. It is for you.

THE PRACTICE OF SELF-MASTERY

• Recognize the thoughts and emotions that keep calling you back.

• Release the need to understand, condone, or accept.

• Choose to let go of what you’re holding and redirect the energy.

• Be okay with it being unresolved and reclaim the power it has had over you.