The Bridge To Freedom

There needs to be more discussions about forgiveness, the weight it holds within the heart. I gave myself freedom in many ways this year to the point of deep reflection of how much I had proudly evolved. Freedom can come in many forms. I freed myself from unhappy environments, unhappy people, toxic mindsets and bad habits. But the one thing that was still weighing heavy on the heart, lurking and attached, holding on tightly was the lack of forgiveness and compassion.

I started a journey of compassion and forgiveness of my past. Many think that the work is done after they remove people from their lives. The reality is that although I freed myself from unhealthy connections, the weight of forgiveness was there, holding me back from true freedom. This type of bondage, I could feel. It was like carrying around a heavy weight that was unbearably uncomfortable with no place to release it. I was able to sit with this energy, speak to it, hold space for it, feel it, cry with it. In those moments, that’s when I knew this was the real work that needed to be done. I was doing the work.

Going into the shadows; deeply dark, deeply scary. But I was brave and I wanted to truly be free from it all. See it wasn’t any longer about the hurt or pain from others. It was now about me, the burden I was carrying that wasn’t for me to carry any further. I no longer wanted to be the victim so I visualized what freedom looks like when forgiveness is truly in the heart.

In my visualization, I saw myself in a beautiful green pasture, winds blowing, sun shining, flowers fully bloomed, surrounded by a river. Over the river was a beautiful golden bridge. I was on one side and on the other side I could see freedom, I could feel it. It was beautiful and full of light. The other side of the bridge held more than freedom. The people I needed to forgive were all there, looking at me, waiting..

In that moment, God spoke: “Isn’t your heart heavy? Aren’t you ready to free yourself? There is forgiveness there. There is freedom right before you.” That is when I knew I had to forgive those people I saw in order for me to experience real sovereignty. So daily when I was called to do so, I would give space to those people in writing a new story of our journeys together. I gave space and compassion to them. I saw them truly. I was able to extend that compassion within the heart. The more I did the work on forgiveness, the more I would cross over the bridge. The closer I got to freedom, the more those people on the other side would dissipate. Their image fading with each step. There were days that I had to sit awhile in one moment on that bridge. On those days I needed more time to heal, to feel, to process. I allowed myself to naturally heal at my own pace. I finally got to the end of the bridge, no longer carrying that heavy weight and they were all gone. But what I noticed was there was another image there. It was a mirror reflecting back to me. There was one more person I had to forgive and that person was me. The final step was to love myself unconditionally, without judgment or negativity. Taking the time to be intentional about my love and my heart has freed me. Freedom came with Love and Love will always heal.

Namaste’