How to Forgive Oneself

Forgiveness is Hard

Forgiveness is one of the most difficult paths a person pursues on earth. It often seems so easy to remain angry at the people who have hurt us deeply. The truth is they probably deserve our anger, and more. But, the choice to forgive and release those who have hurt us is one of the greatest gifts we can give. But, what about forgiving oneself? What if the person you are angry at is yourself? Is forgiving oneself possible?

• Condoning or Excusing Behavior
• Forgetting
• Justifying
• Calming Down
• Merely Words

In the Bible the word forgiveness often means sending away or letting go. These phrases conjure the image of releasing a caged animal back into the wild. Or, imagine releasing a dove to freedom. It will fly from your hands, high into the sky, never to return.

Holding on to the anger you feel about your past is like living with a wild squirrel in your house. It slowly destroys your house from the inside out. But, maybe the squirrel has been living in your house for so long you’re not sure what life would be like without it.

Forgiveness is not forgetting what happened to you. Instead, it’s simply letting the wild squirrel living in your house free. Forgiveness is making the choice to stop carrying the weight of your past. It’s giving up your right to get even with those who hurt you. Forgiveness is making the choice to move forward, not allowing your past to hold you hostage anymore. Forgiveness researcher Dr. Enright writes, “Forgiveness is an act of mercy toward an offender, someone who does not necessarily deserve our mercy. It is a gift to our offender” (Forgiveness is a Choice, p. 25).

Forgiveness is not a feeling. A person can’t wait until they feel like forgiving. A person can’t determine if they’ve forgiven or not based on how they feel. Forgiveness is a choice one makes to move forward. A person makes the choice to forgive and the feelings will eventually follow.

The choice to forgive doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not a one-time decision. Forgiveness is a process. It takes time. Using the analogy of releasing a wild animal from a cage, sometimes the wild animal comes back and you have to send it away again and again. Sometimes something will happen and old feelings of anger will suddenly surface. You’ll then have to make the choice once more to forgive and release the person.

Take a minute and think through a few of the people who have hurt you in life. Beyond your justified anger towards them, is there any reason you’re angry with yourself? If you were sitting in front of your younger self, what would you say regarding these situations?It’s possible you would have words of encouragement. But, there’s also a chance you’d be angry. This anger might be following you through life. It might be why you’ve made self-destructive decisions and entered bad relationships, as a way to silently punish yourself for your past

The Process to Forgive

Holding on to self-anger is not helping you grow or become the person you’re meant to be in this life. Holding on to anger is like trying to swim in the ocean with an anchor tied to your foot. Forgiving others is hard, but forgiving oneself is especially difficult.

As mentioned earlier, forgiveness doesn’t happen overnight. Forgiveness is a process and a choice. In the book, Forgiveness is a Choice, the author shares a four phase process to forgiveness.

Phase 1 – Uncovering Your Anger:

God is here. He’s all around us and dwells within us. We believe there is no greater delight than experiencing God’s presence. Life, peace, freedom, and joy come when we experience and respond to Jesus’ nearness through his Spirit. Our prayer is that of Moses, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Therefore, we posture our hearts to be attentive to God’s presence as we gather to worship and scatter this good news.

Phase 2 – Deciding to Forgive:

A person will decide that what they’ve been doing hasn’t worked. They will choose to engage in the process of forgiveness. In this phase a person will decide to forgive.

Phase 3 – Working on Forgiveness:

In this phase a person will work toward understanding and compassion. They will work towards accepting the pain of their past.

Phase 4 – Discovery and Release from Emotional Prison:

In this final phase the offended person will discover their personal need for forgiveness. They will also discover that they’re not alone, along with their purpose in life. They will begin to walk in the freedom of forgiveness.

Moving Forward

Forgiving oneself is not easy. It’s hard to uncover feelings of anger you have along with already difficult situations from your past. But, the choice to forgive is freeing. It feels like a bird, taking flight and gliding along treetops, hopeful for the future. Forgiving helps restore and heal our soul. But, the choice to forgive is one only you can make for yourself.