Regina Brett in her book "God Never Blinks" says "If you have resentment you want to be free of, pray for the person you resent and you will be free." Seems counter-intuitive and yet, it's true. When we ask for only good things to come to those we dislike or feel ill-will towards, we are set free. It's when we keep feeling those negative feelings that we remain tethered to the other person. Resentment is like a boomerang, the feelings you send out to the other person are re-sent back to you. Directly.
Wishing well for someone who has wronged you or hurt you or left you is not easy but the results are amazing. There are times when I have to close my eyes and breathe and hope for the ability to just get through the moment without breaking down; it's those times when wishing the other person well seems too monumental a task to even begin. And yet, even if I don't feel it in that moment, I will say to myself "I wish him well." Just those 4 simple words "I wish him well."
There is a voice inside that seems to rebel against that- that doesn't want to let go of the anger, that doesn't want to be kind or gentle. That voice is a voice of protection. That voice represents a part of me that wants to ensure that I don't get hurt again and that wants to put up defenses and that wants to fight and remain hard and steadfast. The irony is that the best defense against that sadness and anger is peace, not more anger.
Wishing someone else well frees your connection to that person. You wish them well so that they can leave your heart and your soul and go on their own path without you needing to follow. You wish them well so that you can take all of the energy you are spending on that person and use it instead to push yourself forward. You wish them well so that you can concentrate on your own life and your own dreams and you are no longer concerned or consumed by what's going on in someone else's life. You wish them well so that you can release them and release yourself and charge out into your future on your terms. You wish them well and you are free.
Take care, Allison
Disclaimer: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. Disregard this solicitation if you have already engaged a lawyer in connection with legal matters referred to in this solicitation. You may wish to consult your lawyer or another lawyer instead of me. The exact nature of your legal situation will depend on many facts not known to me at this time. You should understand that the advice and information in this solicitation is general and that your own situation may vary. This statement is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Missouri.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Time for me to fly
I've decided today to try to let go of the past- to let go of resentment, to let go of trying to right past wrongs. It's hard to do but staying mired in the past gets us nowhere but stuck. Even though some things will never change and some things will never be made right and some hurt just can't be repaired, even though all of this may be true, it doesn't do us any good to fixate on it.
Thinking about our past has us constantly looking backward at what was and where we were. Looking at the past doesn't allow us to look at what is happening now and what we want to happen in the future. One of the best ways to get over past wrongs is to look to the future to see how we want our lives to look and then look in our present to see how we can get there from here. The pain of the past is lifted when we turn our eyes upward and outward and forward. The hurt that we feel in our heart and our soul is warmed by the feelings of what is yet to come, all the good we have waiting for us, all that we can see down the road.
Acknowledging the past for what it was, for bringing us to this place, for making us who we are, allows us to see ourselves firmly planted in the present, at what is, at what our lives have become. When we look to the future at what's possible, when we look to our present and see the opportunities we have, we are filled with hope and not dread, we are filled with contentment and not anger, we are filled with life and love and joy and not pain. We should let go of the past, as best we can today, by filling our hearts with the possibility that the future holds. We should shout from the rooftops that today we will fly, today we will soar, today we will take a look and take a leap and take a hold of our own peace.
Take care, Allison
Disclaimer: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. Disregard this solicitation if you have already engaged a lawyer in connection with legal matters referred to in this solicitation. You may wish to consult your lawyer or another lawyer instead of me. The exact nature of your legal situation will depend on many facts not known to me at this time. You should understand that the advice and information in this solicitation is general and that your own situation may vary. This statement is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Missouri.
Thinking about our past has us constantly looking backward at what was and where we were. Looking at the past doesn't allow us to look at what is happening now and what we want to happen in the future. One of the best ways to get over past wrongs is to look to the future to see how we want our lives to look and then look in our present to see how we can get there from here. The pain of the past is lifted when we turn our eyes upward and outward and forward. The hurt that we feel in our heart and our soul is warmed by the feelings of what is yet to come, all the good we have waiting for us, all that we can see down the road.
Acknowledging the past for what it was, for bringing us to this place, for making us who we are, allows us to see ourselves firmly planted in the present, at what is, at what our lives have become. When we look to the future at what's possible, when we look to our present and see the opportunities we have, we are filled with hope and not dread, we are filled with contentment and not anger, we are filled with life and love and joy and not pain. We should let go of the past, as best we can today, by filling our hearts with the possibility that the future holds. We should shout from the rooftops that today we will fly, today we will soar, today we will take a look and take a leap and take a hold of our own peace.
Take care, Allison
Disclaimer: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. Disregard this solicitation if you have already engaged a lawyer in connection with legal matters referred to in this solicitation. You may wish to consult your lawyer or another lawyer instead of me. The exact nature of your legal situation will depend on many facts not known to me at this time. You should understand that the advice and information in this solicitation is general and that your own situation may vary. This statement is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Missouri.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)