Finding Forgiveness and Growth in the Trials of life
Finding Forgiveness and Growth in the Trials of Life
Some days, life is filled with rainbows and sunshine. And some days, it feels like life has buried you in a mountain of lemons. Where is the sunshine you desperately need to lift you up out of this trial? How do you find the positive energy to live your best life? When times are tough, relationships are broken, or negativity is pounding at your door, these steps can help you fight back the lemons and let the sunshine into your life.
1. Learn & Grow
Assess the situation you are in right now. If a relationship is crumbling, who is at fault? Put aside emotions for just a moment and look at the conversations, interactions, and offenses (and encouragements) that lead to this point. Consider the truth of what happened so that you can learn from it. Now consider how you feel about it. Let yourself be sad, angry, disappointed or hurt, but don’t let yourself stay there. Moving on and growing from these emotions to understanding and acceptance of the situation helps you process this situation with a clear head and leaves room for positive energy to break into your emotional response.
2. Forgive Yourself
What role did you play in getting to the point you are right now? Did a bad decision cost you a job or a relationship? Maybe you are facing a bad situation that was out of your control. Did poor planning or mismanagement lead to a much harsher consequence of the circumstances you find yourself in? Take responsibility for whatever you are facing today, and forgive yourself for your role. It is important to take things head on and learn from our mistakes, but it is equally important to forgive ourselves and know we did our best and tomorrow is another chance to try again. Forgiveness is one of the few areas of life that we can control completely; letting go of condemnation and blame leaves room for positive energy and personal growth to fill us.
3. Forgive Others
Extend the forgiveness that you have given yourself to the other people involved in your situation. This is not easy, but it is also not for them. Forgiving someone else of a wrong they have committed against you frees you of the bondage you have to this person and the situation. It doesn’t change the role they played, nor does it heal every relationship or hurt, but it allows you to move on and grow.
4. Embrace the Truth
Recognize that the situation isn’t good but it is just one moment in time. This is just a season, a stepping-stone in your life -- it isn’t forever. Tomorrow is a new day. From a relationship standpoint, there are millions of people to build new connections with. In life, there are many opportunities to move past stumbling blocks in your career or current lifestyle. Nothing is set in stone. Look at the truth of your situation and accept that this is only one chapter of your story- take the good from this chapter with you and leave all the rest behind. Embracing this truth allows hope to creep into your life, a positive energy that is not easily shaken. When you have hope, anything is possible.
5. Find Gratitude in Resilience
You are resilient. This will not break you. You can triumph through painful moments. You can speak truth to yourself and create positive energy in your life. Remember to be grateful for the good times, for the life you have, and for the new adventure and season that awaits you. Having an attitude of gratitude and seeing the silver lining of every cloud in this storm can literally and almost immediately give you a positive energy to speak truth to yourself, and lead you to discover courage and persistence that you didn’t know you had.
Embracing truth, finding gratitude, and taking hold of positive energy will give you the tools you need to overcome any trial or obstacle in your life. If you are struggling with any of these areas and feel accountability and encouragement would help you move forward, consider meeting with a counselor in the near future. Having a neutral party that you can be completely honest with can be a great resource in giving you the support you need to move into a new season of life.
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