Free to Forgive, Free to Grow

Well, hello, my valued listeners, and welcome back to another episode of Living in Your Power. I'm your host, Dr. Marleen Greenleaf, and I'm just so grateful that you've chosen to spend this time with me today. Now, as we continue our July theme, Living Free: Walking Daily in Purpose and Peace, We've spent this month so far reflecting on the freedom that begins within and the daily choice to protect our peace. So today, we're exploring another step towards living freely, one that can be difficult but incredibly transformative. So today's episode, the 3rd in our July series, is titled Free to Forgive, Free to Grow. So let's get into it. Have you ever noticed how heavy unforgiveness can become? I mean, sometimes it's obvious, but other times it quietly settles into our hearts over the years. It can show up as resentment, disappointment, bitterness, or even the quiet replaying of conversations we wish had gone differently. Now, the interesting thing about unforgiveness is that it often keeps us connected to a painful moment long after that moment has passed. I mean, we think we're protecting ourselves by holding on, but often we're only prolonging our own pain. Now let me be clear, forgiveness does not mean pretending something didn't happen. I mean, it does not mean excusing hurtful behavior, and it certainly does not mean allowing unhealthy patterns to continue. Forgiveness is something much deeper. It's choosing not to allow yesterday's hurt to control today's peace. Now Ephesians 4:31-32, the King James Version says, Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Now what stands out to me in this passage? Is that we're first invited to put something away—that's bitterness, anger, malice. Only then can forgiveness begin to take root, and that's because forgiveness creates space—space for healing, space for compassion. Space for peace. And perhaps that's why forgiveness feels so freeing. It's because it removes the weight we've been carrying and replaces it with something much lighter. Not because the past changes, but because we do. We do. So now, growth and forgiveness. are closely connected because it's difficult to move forward while constantly looking backwards. I mean, many times the greatest growth in our lives, dear listeners, begins when we decide that the pain we've experienced will no longer define us. Instead, it will develop us. It will deepen our compassion. It will strengthen our faith and increase our wisdom. And remind us that healing is possible. Forgiveness isn't forgetting. It's releasing. It's trusting God with what we no longer need to carry. It's making room for joy to return. And isn't that what living free is really about? I mean, choosing not to remain imprisoned by yesterday so we can fully embrace today. That for me is living free. What, what, what about you? Tell me, tell me, what do you consider is living free? Now let's return to these words. It says, be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, Forgiving one another. Forgiveness begins with the heart, and sometimes the first person we need to forgive is ourselves. So I want you to take a few moments this week and reflect on these. I want you to ask yourself these questions. Write them down. Journal them. And get your response. Is there someone I need to forgive? Is there something I need to release? Have I extended the same grace to myself that I so freely offer others? And what might become possible if I laid this burden down? So I will repeat those prompts for you again. I want you to reflect on these. Ask yourself, is there someone I need to forgive? Is there something I need to release? Have I extended the same grace to myself that I so freely offer others? And what might become possible if I laid this burden down? I want you to remember, Forgiveness doesn't erase the past, it frees your future. So in closing today, I want you to remember again, like I said, freedom isn't only found in what we gain. Sometimes it's found in what we're willing to release. So as you move through this week, I encourage you to ask yourself, what am I still carrying that God never intended for me to hold? You don't have to carry resentment. You don't have to carry bitterness. You don't even have to carry regret. Why? Because there is freedom in forgiveness, and in that freedom, there's room to grow. I'm gonna leave you with this today. So I wanna thank you for joining me for episode 3 of our July series, Living Free: Walking Daily in Purpose and Peace. So next week we'll conclude our July journey with Living Lightly: Releasing What We Were Never Meant to Carry. So until next time, dear listeners, I want you to continue to live boldly in your power today. And if it gets tough, just breathe. Because you've still got the strength to rise. And remember, there's freedom in forgiveness, and in that freedom, there is room to grow. So until next time, continue to live in your power. Thank you, Marleen.