The Power of Forgiveness - Faith and Growth Podcast - #13

Forgiveness has to be one of the greatest gifts that God gives us. To purify us, to make us better, to free us. Because he created us for greatness. Good morning, sunshine. Welcome to the Faith and Growth podcast, the space where psychology and spirituality come together to help you rise and into the person you were created to be. If you're ready to stop playing small and start living the life God designed for you, I got you. I'm Dr. Betsigera, psychotherapist, speaker, and author. And I'm here to help you heal, rise, and walk boldly in your purpose. So if you're ready to do that, let's get started. I was in the airplane on my way to Mayugori with my dear friend Caro Martinez, and we decided to set an intention for our pilgrimage. So she went first, and then I said, my intention is to forgive. There was a person that I was holding a lot of resentment towards, and it was killing me. It was killing me. And I had tried everything. All my psychology tools, all my spiritual tools. I had, I had done for myself, everything that I invite my clients and my students in the faith based coaching Academy to do. And I just, I couldn't succeed. There were moments in which I felt like, okay, I'm moving forward. And then I would go right back and I would really engage with that resentment. It was, it was, it was venom in my soul, and I was just ready to let it go. So we were in the airplane and I'm talking about this experience and I'm like, okay, that's it. I'm not coming back with this in my heart. This is my intention for this trip. That's when it all started. After a two year process, that's when it all started. With intention. So today, my friend, I would love for you to think about someone that you are holding grudges for, someone that you resent. Maybe it's your partner, maybe it's a friend, a family member, maybe it's your mom, your dad, someone. Sometimes we experience, like, trauma when we're little. And when I say trauma, I mean trauma with little T or trauma with big T, meaning, like, it could be a big one, or it could be something that they instilled in you that has really affected you and you resent them for it. So whatever it is and whomever it is, take a moment to reflect on who you want to be thinking about during today's episode because. Because this is the beginning of that process of forgiveness that you have been longing to experience in your heart. You got the person you Got the experience? Okay, let's do this. So I would like to start by sharing a little bit about my perspective on forgiveness and unforgiveness. And then from there on, I'm gonna give you tools to rise above it and to be free once and for all from that, like, thing that. That darkness in your heart. Tio. Okay, let's go. So let me start by saying what I think unforgiveness is so that we define conceptually what we're talking about and understand exactly what we're referring to. So unforgiveness is a way of bringing an offense from the past into the present moment. So something happened in the past, someone offended you, someone hurt you. And unforgiveness means that that didn't just happen in the past. That continues to be experienced and re experienced in the present moment. Because by not forgiving it, you're bringing it with you. So the offense no longer took a few minutes. Like, let's say the offense was betrayal and your partner cheated on you. And that happened before, right? Like, it's not something that continues to happen today that happened before and, you know, continue to hurt and think about it and have flashbacks and remember. And, like, whenever you haven't forgiven someone, you continue to re. Experience the offense in the present moment, which doesn't allow you to be healed and be free from it. So that's unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is also allowing venom into our souls, into our body, into our heart, into our. Because when you resent someone, that bitterness that comes with grudging resentment that is being hosted inside your soul, that's like, darkness that you're allowing in. So now this unforgiveness is not just, oh, it's, you know, how dare he do this? I'm never going to forgive this person. Now that's yours. That venom went into your soul, into your heart, and there's that darkness that doesn't allow you to be free, doesn't allow you to be healed, doesn't allow you to be happy. For as long as you have unforgiveness in your heart, there's going to be darkness and bitterness. And unforgiveness is also something for which we were not created. Because are you perfect? Have you ever needed someone to forgive you for something? Have you ever made a mistake? No matter how little we have the tendency to think that what other people did is worse, we compare, we measure. And scripture says, let anyone who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her, right? Like el que estel libre de pecado que tire la primera piedra. I always heard that growing up. And I sometimes think I'm so perfect. And because I'm such a good person, I always look out for the well being of others. I don't do evil things, at least not intentionally. And yet I have found myself asking my husband and my kids and friends for forgiveness because I've made so many mistakes. Sometimes unknowingly, unwillingly, not intentionally. And other times I. I didn't measure the consequences of how, or how it would make the other person feel. And I did something knowingly, but without the intention of hurting ever so deeply. And in the example of betrayal, for example, I've had a lot of clients in the past and even students who have betrayed their partners at some point. And these are good people, good people who had a. A period of vulnerability or darkness or lack of self worth and needed attention and then someone gave it to them or like we don't know. We don't know why people cheat, we don't know why they betray, we don't know why they make mistakes. And we immediately jump to the conclusion that they're bad people and that they're unforgivable. And I, I'm not perfect. And I dare say neither are you. So you also are going to need forgiveness from someone at any given moment in your life. So unforgiveness is not what we were created for. Because ultimately we're going to be the recipients of forgiveness or unforgiveness. And we get to ask the Our Father, which is the prayer that Jesus himself taught us, like as it says, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Unforgiveness is not what we were made for. Forgiveness is what we were made for. And it's actually one of the greatest graces that God's given us to purify us, to make us better, to free us, because he created us for greatness. We are meant to be free and happy and joyful and peaceful and all the things. That's why he gave up his life for you, so that you can be happy. And unforgiveness, my friend, is robbing you of your joy, of your peace and of your greatness. Trust me, I would know. I don't consider myself a very like, resentful person. I've always been quick to forgive. And recently I had an experience where I just couldn't. For two years, I just couldn't. And I think it was an opportunity. God gave me so that I could experience in my core what I've witnessed so many of my clients and my students go through and then have some words of wisdom to offer you. So are you ready? Are you excited to hear this? Okay. I'm excited to share it with you. And I will say that this is coming. Like I, you know, everything that I do is incorporating psychology and spirituality. By the way, I don't know if I've ever told you I have the Faith Based Coaching Academy, which is a personal development program that allows you to ignite your faith, grow closer to God, elevate your wisdom by receiving PhD level education in psychology and understanding why you and the people around you feel, think and act the way that you do or that we do. And it also allows you to embody all these lessons. It allows you to integrate it. And while you're at it, the icing on the cake is that you get certified as a life coach, which if you want to use it as a business, as a career, you may. But this is not just for people who want to be life coaches. This is for people like you who want to be better and grow closer to God. So I digress. Anyway, coming back to this, so to my students, I always, for my students, I always incorporate psychology and spirituality. So this, today's lesson on forgiveness is going to incorporate those, but it's also going to be packed with something deeper and stronger than theory, which is my experience. I know this to be true. I know that forgiveness is what you were created for. And I just experienced the freedom, the joy, the peace that comes from letting go of an offense that you continue to bring into your present moment and is haunting you because you are not willing or ready to let it go. So forgiveness is freedom. Forgiveness is about you. It's not about the other person. Of course, the other person doesn't deserve for you to let it go and forgive it or whatever. They don't. They messed up, they hurt you, they did something that was inappropriate, wrong, all the things. But the forgiveness is not for them. It's for you. Forgiveness isn't freedom. They have to live with the thing that they did. And that's between them and God. Forgiveness frees you. Forgiveness is for you. And you don't need an apology to be able to experience it. Now how do we experience forgiveness? Like, how do you do that? I'm going to give it all to you today. So take some notes or just be in a meditative state to just like receive it. Ask God to give you the grace of wisdom. And acceptance and openness and to be receptive to what you're about to listen to. Okay, so number one, when we choose forgiveness, we must set the intention. I shared with you that in the airplane, I set the intention of forgiveness during my pilgrimage in Meugorje with my friend Caro. And what that does is it opens like, it opens the door for God to come in and guide you the rest of the way. Forgive. When you set an intention. I always teach my students, three things happen. Number one, you make a decision. And decision comes from the word desidere, which means to remove all other possibilities. So when you set an intention, you are deciding that you are going to forgive. That's it. There's no other option. This is what's going to happen. It's the equivalent of turning on a GPS and imagining that God is the gps. You turn on the GPS and you enter the destination, and the destination is forgiveness. Now, God, AKA the gps, is going to guide you every step of the way so that you may get there. Now, the GPS knows that you're open to that, that you are in a position where you're gonna receive the directions and the guidance that God is ready to give you. Because I don't know if you're like me, but sometimes I turn on the GPS and the GPS tells me to go through the expressway. And I know that it's quicker if I go through the back roads. So I'm like, this GPS doesn't know anything. I'm going to do whatever the heck I want. And then I realized there was an accident. And that's why I kept on saying, recalculating, make a U turn. Recalculating, make a U turn. Right. So we start with intention, because intention allows us to, number one, decide that forgiveness is for us, that that is our final destination. Number two, for intention allows us to connect to divine power. Because by turning on the gps, we're giving up our free will, or we're surrendering our free will to the will of God. Because we're saying like, okay, God, come in, guide me, tell me if to turn left, right, keep on moving forward, recalculate, make a U turn like I'm yours. And when you allow God in, you're letting him have your back. You're letting him guide you. He knows better than you. His plans for you are much greater than the ones that you can imagine. So now you are not limited to your human wisdom and abilities. Now you're tapped in to divine power. So, number one, you just make a decision Number two, you connect to divine power. And number three, you connect to purpose. So now everything that you do is purpose driven. So for example, if your intention is to be a good mom and wife and you want to show up for your family and be present and love on them, and your husband is an acts of service kind of guy, and he loves to see the house picked up and clean, and he loves when you cook and do the dishes and it's something that, like, he just loves to come home to a clean house. It's pleasant. Well, when you're doing the dishes, when you're cooking, you're not doing the dishes and cooking. You're loving your family. You're demonstrating love for your spouse, for your kids. When you're doing the laundry, you're not doing the laundry and folding socks, pairing socks and folding underwear. And you are loving your family. You are showing up with love for those who you want to be there for. So now your intention is packed with purpose. And nothing ever has to feel like a task or like, oh my gosh, yeah, I have to forgive this person. No, it's exciting. It's exciting because now, like, every effort that you make, every sacrifice, maybe like you're fasting to offer for this forgiveness journey, anything that you do is not like, oh my gosh, I'm starving here, fasting. No, I'm. I'm purifying myself to be able to hold the grace of forgiveness. So we start with intention. Because when you set an intention, you make a decision, you connect to divine power, and then now success is inevitable for you. And you're living the process with joy. Because when you have purpose in your life, you live a purpose, joyful, driven life. So we begin with intention. Now you've decided, or I decided, this was on the way to Meugori, I decided I am not coming back home to Miami with this resentment. I am healing. My intention is to heal and I will allow for nothing else. Obviously, when you set an intention, you show up with excellence and greatness and competence because there's no other choice. You give your best. So that's the first step. Number two, we're going to visualize that intention. So some things feel, like, unforgivable and like, I just can't. And it's true you can't. If you haven't been able to do it up to now, it's because you cannot do it on your own. But with God, all things are possible. So when you think of visualizing what you're doing is this thing that you haven't been able to see in your physical reality be manifested for two years. I was still holding onto this, no matter how much Betsy, with her limited human wisdom and strength had tried to do it. So it may be hard to imagine that possibility, especially after so many years of being unable to achieve this. But when you visualize something, you're able to imagine, look at, live and experience with all your senses something that hasn't happened yet. Visualization is a gift given to us by our conscious mind which allows us to imagine things that haven't been true just yet, at least not in our physical reality, which is just a glimpse of the reality that really exists. But that's another podcast for another day. So visualization when. So the subconscious mind, it believes whatever you tell it. That's why we believe in affirmations so much and that's why words matter. So the subconscious mind believes whatever you tell it. And the more powerfully you tell it with emotion, engaging your senses, imagining it, the better it is for the subconscious mind to believe it, you know, the easier it will be for it to believe it. Before continuing the episode, allow me to invite you to book a call with me or my team@talktobetsy.com so that we can learn more about you and see if the faith based coaching academy is the answer to your prayer. I cannot wait to connect back to the episode. When you visualize what you're doing is you're experiencing, experiencing the future in the present moment in your mind with all your senses. So a visualization should engage all of your senses. So like when you're imagining, like when I was imagining I did this in the airplane after we set our intention, I had some time that, where I was resting and meditating and you know, I was, I was praying my rosary. And in praying that rosary, what I did was I'm going to, I decided that I was going to have Mother Mary help me. So I'm Catholic, my background is Catholic. And you don't, you don't have to agree with everything I say, but like, whatever, I'll share to share my experience. But if that doesn't resonate with you, feel free to change it to fit your beliefs. So I was praying the rosary and I decided that in every mystery of the rosary, the rosary is the process through which we reflect on the life of Jesus in different parts of scripture, which is the life of Jesus. And we're doing that by inviting his Blessed Mother to help us make our way to him. Right. Like we Mary, the idea of, you know, the main Belief of Catholics with regards to Mary is that she is the way to Jesus. She shows us the way to Jesus. She knew her son the best she was. You know, she held him in his. In her womb, and she wants us to go to him. So she helps us. It's like our moms. Like, our moms support us, generally speaking, in helping us achieve our dreams. And the ultimate dream is to be close to her son. So anyway, I'm praying the rosary and I'm asking Mother Mary to help guide me to her son. Because I know that if I'm one with her son, if I'm one with God, I'm going to be able to forgive easily. It's hard for me, but it's not for him. So if I'm able to connect as one with Jesus, then I'm going to be able to forgive. This is my thinking process. So I invite her in to support me in the journey. And praying the rosary. And before each mystery, I take a moment to set an intention and visualize moments with that person I wanted to forgive. So I visualized moments in the future. I visualized him, like, being, like the beautiful person that he was, that he is, that I couldn't see because I was blind to it. So I imagined, like, moments that I had admired that person. I imagined moments in which we could laugh again and I could admire him again and love him like he deserved for me to love him. I had, like, I was creating all those visions and I would include smell, like, you know, I would see, like, what. What am I smelling? Maybe the perfume that I'm. That I had on. Or maybe it was like the flowers because we were outdoors or it was a candle. Like, you can visualize, like, something that includes smell. And then what were the sounds? What were the words that were being said, the sounds that were surrounding us? And then, like, what was I feeling? What. What could I touch? Like, oh, he gave me a hug after we had a beautiful conversation, and, like, I could feel him and what did I see? What were, you know, engage the sense of the eyesight and then everything. So, like, I was like, what did I touch? What did I feel? What did I hear? What did I smell? What did I taste? What was I. Was I eating something? Right. So the more specific the visualization in terms of the scene that you're playing and the more senses you engage in that vision, the more powerful the effect of this experience. Because the subconscious mind is not going to be able to differentiate fantasy, what you're imagining from reality, what is already manifested and it's going to think it's already true. And then the mind, the subconscious mind, is going to operate in your favor to help you manifest and create that reality. And this applies to a lot of other things, but we're focused on forgiveness today. So visualize it. What happens when you visualize it is that you get to experience what isn't yet true, quote, unquote, on your physical reality. You get to experience it as truth. It already is. It's already yours. Forgiveness was already mine before I was able to feel it leave my body because I visualized it. I saw it before I saw it. I felt it before I felt it. So visualizations help us create a reality that isn't yet manifested or quote, unquote true in our physical existence. Two things that the visualization does is it allows you to build your belief. So now that you've already experienced it in your mind, you know that it's possible. It can be true. It builds your belief, and it also helps you bring your future into the present. So the past and the future are an illusion. But that's another podcast for another day. For purposes of understanding, today we're going to believe in the past, present, and future. So we've been holding onto the past through unforgiveness. And visualization shifts the perspective to the future. Because now that you have intentionally imagined the future in which you're free from resentment and grudges, a future in which your heart is, is. Is beaming with light rather than that darkness of unforgiveness, now you can, like, believe that even though you haven't seen it in two years, in three years, in 10 years, it's possible for you. So it builds belief, and it also allows you to imagine the future and live in like, instead of living in the past, now you're living in the future, and that's what's guiding your every move. So it's a really powerful practice. The third thing that we get to do. So first intention, then visualization, now we focus on expansion. This is like my favorite. So expansion is when we choose to focus on becoming a better person rather than on fixing the apparent problem, which in this case is unforgiveness and resentment. So instead of reading all the books about resentment, instead of doing all the tools, practicing and putting everything into practice, you focus first on expanding yourself. I'll explain why forgiveness has to be one of the greatest gifts that God gives us. It's a grace, and it's a huge grace. It's big in size. It's like the size of a truck. And you know, you're asking God, like, God, help me forgive. Help me forgive. Help me forgive. At least this was true for me. Like, help me forgive. Help me forgive. But there were parts of me that were too small to fit the grace of forgiveness. I still had the thought of, how dare this person do this? And I still hadn't taken ownership of it. I was blaming the person and assuming no responsibility for it. And we know how I feel about accountability. If not, go back to the two virtues that help you transform any relationship. That's an episode from a couple of weeks ago. Accountability is one of the ways in which we expand ourselves because if we take ownership, then we're able to be better in those areas that we may have not being our best self in. So when you expand, what you're doing is you're shifting your mindset. So instead of thinking like, he doesn't deserve my forgiveness. And I never want to have to deal with that. And I'm not. I don't care. I'm indifferent to it. I never want to hear about that person I like, he doesn't deserve it. Like, whenever you're thinking that way, how can you fit the grace of forgiveness? You're the size, you know, like the space that you're allocating to fit it in is the size of a drawer or a box. And this is the size of a truck. This grace is the size of a truck. We need a big, big, big, big space to be able to fit the grace of forgiveness. So focus on expansion by shifting your mindset. Talk yourself into believing, like, I, I love this person. This person didn't mean to hurt me. I wonder why he was feeling the way he was feeling and. And that led him to act in this way. Wait, is there a possibility that I misinterpreted? Right? Like. Like, start getting curious about how you can see it in a different way. How can you can reframe it, how can you look at it differently so that now being able to forgive, this person supports you. And listen, sometimes the person that you're meant to forgive, you're not supposed to be BFFs with them. You're not supposed to get back together with them. Maybe, and that's okay. But forgiveness is for you anyway. So why not fit that grace once and for all so that it can support you in the future when. When you're offended again. Because if we're alive and we love hard, we're going to be hurt. It's the price to pay. Amen. To that I want to be exposed to offenses and being hurt as much as I can because that means I'm loving and caring hard. So fit in the grace of forgiveness by expanding yourself. Shift your mindset. Stop thinking like, no, I'm never going to forgive him. Like, why? Like, he doesn't deserve it to, like, oh, I get to love this person and free myself. Shift your identity. Step into an identity of a person who is forgiving. Decide that you are a forgiving person. You don't just put an ex. You don't ex a person that hurt you like, and never want to deal with them again. Like, how are you going to. How are you going to connect? How are you going to build relationships if you're putting an X on everybody who fails you? I promise you, every single person you love will fail you at some point. The only one that is said to be perfect is God. So allow him to gift you the grace of forgiveness. So expand. Expand. Like. Another way of expansion is praying for that person. When you pray for that, it's hard to pray for someone that you can't stand. Pray for that person. And then as you're praying, surrender your eyes to God. Like, tell God, like, God, take my eyes and give me yours so that I may see that person through your eyes. Because you know what? He or she was also created to God's image and likeness. He or she is also a child of God, just like you. So he or she, like, will mess up, but is the face of God in some way too. And lastly, I think the greatest way of expansion is through ownership. What do you have to do with this offense if it's a relationship in which the person betrayed? Were you the best spouse? Were you. Were you the person who showed up wholeheartedly and attended to that person? Or did you fail and that made that person vulnerable? And then they looked for answers in other places. I'm not justifying. I'm not saying that's okay for someone to betray you. I'm not saying that. I don't believe that. But what do you have to do with that? What can you be accountable for? Remember that whatever you take responsibility for, you can change. But if not, you're going to be a victim and have to wait till the other person change changes. And we know how that may end. You may live the rest of your life holding that grudge and waiting. Sit down and wait. What do you have to do? How do you. How can you own this? Sometimes I will say this is another episode because it's one of My most, my, my, my favorite topics, and I think it's super exciting. But when you, when you, you are the producer and director of your movie. Let me say that again, you are the producer and director of your movie, of your life. You have chosen your supporting actors, including this person who offended you. You have chosen the scenes so that offense that happened in your movie, that higher version of you that's connected to God, that co. Creates your life with God, you chose that person. That person's your teacher. They're not the person who made your life miserable through your teacher, you chose that. You just don't remember because we live asleep in this world. But I'm tapping into some things that are a little deeper than I would want to right now. But just trust me on this. You have a lot of power over your life and you chose that person for your life. Even if it's your mom, which you think you didn't choose, right? Like in a higher way, you chose them to teach you the lesson that you're about to learn through forgiveness. So instead of fighting reality, instead of acting as a victim who had nothing to do and was totally offended and didn't deserve it, like, what can you own? How can you be empowered with responsibility? I want you to have the power and that comes with accountability. So when you, when, when you think of you having chosen this supporting actor and this seen, then ask yourself, what for? Like, why would that higher version of me that chose this situation and person, like, why would I, like, what am I meant to learn from this? How am I supposed to grow from this and then embrace it? It's exciting for me when I, when I get to this place that I realize, like, I know I did this sometimes. Like, by the way, I did realize it's a long time ago. I just didn't have the grace to really live it and put it into practice. But in my case, it was all the story I told myself that offended me. It wasn't this person. It was all the stories I told myself about him. He was acting like the things that he did that offended me were justified by fears that he had by a life situation that he was in. It wasn't. He didn't mean to hurt me. He didn't mean to offend me. And I was able to see that early on. But I still wasn't ready to receive it because I did not have a heart the size of a big warehouse to fit the truck of forgiveness that God had in store for me. And in Meugorj, I was opened up Deeply, because I set an intention, because I visualized it, because I said, God, I'm ready for it. I'm ready. And whatever was left of expansion to just fit that grace of forgiveness was opened up, and I was set free. So when you take ownership, what you do is you reclaim your power over the offense that you have been the one to continue to bring to the present moment, because that person most likely offended you that other time. Like, not right now, but by you continuing to bring it to the present moment, you continue to experience the pain of unforgiveness. And when you remember, I heard this in a podcast once, and I thought it was so beautiful. When you remember, you remember, you become a member again of an experience. So I love remembering Fofi because it's a way of bringing her to my heart and feeling her close. But I don't like remembering the offense or the thing that hurt me because I also bring that into my heart in the present moment, and I re experience it. We get to choose. So. And then lastly, like, I want to share something. This whole idea of bringing the offense to the present moment was beautifully illustrated by one of my spiritual directors, Wayne Dyer. I love his spiritual teachings. I think it was him. I'm not even sure, but I think at some point there was someone in his team who had been stealing a lot of money, like, someone he trusted and loved deeply and had supported all throughout. And this person was stealing from him for, like, 10 years, let's say I'm making that up. So I'm sorry if I don't have the details accurately, but he found out 10 years later that for 10 years, this person had been stealing from him. And at that moment, he was indignant and so upset and so hurt and so offended. And then he realized, like, oh, wait, it wasn't what he did that offended me, because if not, I would have been hurt for 10 years. It was my interpretation of what the other person did. How much power is there in that? How much power is there in knowing that the infidelity, the rudeness, the cursing, the insults, the offenses cannot hurt you, only your interpretation of them? So if you choose to decide, like, oh, you know, this person must be in a really dark place, and he didn't mean to do this to me. He's just carrying something himself. That's his orange juice. We go back to that. When you squeeze an orange, what comes out of it is orange juice, what you have inside. So if somebody hurts you, what's coming out of them is theirs. It's not necessarily meant to hurt you. It's something that they didn't know how to process or deal with in a graceful way. So decide that you're going to take ownership of this and ask God, like, reveal to me, God, what part I took in this so that I can do make better choices in the future. Maybe I choose better friends, better spouses, better people to connect with. Maybe I set some healthy boundaries, like, what about you contributed to this? And then, in addition to forgiving that person, forgive yourself. Forgive yourself too. And then, once you have set an intention, you have visualized and imagined what's possible, you've taken ownership of it. Now you surrender. So when I went to Medjugorje, I had done a lot of the work already, and I was in full surrender. I was like, God, I'm wide open. Open, wide open. Like, just, just, just get inside of me and do your thing. Because I haven't been able to do it with my limited human abilities. And I was, I was in total surrender. I. I prayed, I fasted, I offered my pilgrimage. I was fully present. I didn't sleep much because we would wake up super early to do our hikes to the mountains in prayer. And I let him do his thing. Surrender is the quickest way to manifesting the outcome that you desire. I once heard this quote, I may be butchering it, but I think it's beautiful. Manifestation happens at the speed of surrender. The faster you surrender, the sooner you will experience the manifestation of the outcomes and the results that you've been craving and desiring for so long. So surrender. Be still, and know that I am God. Allow him to do his thing in this process of surrender. In Meugorje, I went to confession. So as a Catholic, I go to confession. And I love it. I love it. I don't know how people don't like confession, because to. To me, it's like therapy. You go to therapy, you speak, you talk about what you feel, and then you leave, like, with this freedom and lightness. It's beautiful. So I love confession, and Medjugorje has the best confessions in the world. And I went to two confessions back to back, you know, two days in a row. And the second one, in the second one, the priest did something really special that nobody had ever done for me. And as he's given me the absolution of the sins and whatnot, and he, like, puts his big hand on my top of my head, and he's like, like, like moving my head around and, and, and he starts speaking like, come, Holy Spirit, Come, Holy Spirit. And then he speaks to Satan. Like, I was like, what? I don't even mention that guy. There's no room for him in my life. So he was like, satan, like, I, I, I command you to leave her. I command you to leave her. And I was like, wait, what? And at that moment, I was like, oh, my gosh. Resentment is like that venom through which I allow the evil inside my soul. And I was like, there's no room for you. Get out. Get out. There's no room for you. And at that moment, I was like, I am free because there's no room for the enemy in my heart. And when I saw unforgiveness as the evil, as the enemy taking over a little part of my heart, I was like, heck, no. No room for you. I am God's. Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit. And at that moment, I just knew, you know, like, when you're not sure, like, you know, you haven't seen the person that you're forgiving. So I'm like, you don't know if it really happened or if it didn't. But at that moment, I knew, I knew there's no room for evil in my heart. Is there room for evil in yours? Are you going to say you're a woman or a man of faith and be holding grudges for someone who hurt you? There's no room for him in your life. I know. So I hope this supports and blesses you in forgiving the person that you've had a really hard time letting go of his or her offense. And I pray that it just allows you to be free. Be free and be happy and experience peace and live your faith. I love you. I hope this supports you. Share it with someone who may need to hear it and just tell me about it, like, send me a message, a dm, or post a message on the podcast and just let me know if this has allowed you to bless you, if this has allowed you to heal and forgive. And maybe while you're at it, maybe you can fast or offer something like a sacrifice or something as a way of surrender and letting God know. I'm ready. I'm ready to be purified by you, and I'm ready to be healed and be freed. Amen. I love you. I'll see you next week. That's it for today's episode. I loved, loved, loved spending this time with you, so thank you for joining me. If somebody came to mind while you were listening, bless them with this episode, send it to them and if you may, please subscribe and leave a review. Those are really helpful to help us spread the message. And if you want to grow in faith and wisdom, join me at faithandgrowth. Com. Thank you for spending this time with me. Love you. Bye.