Forgiveness is not always easily granted. In fact, most times it’s not. But author/TV personality Iyanla Vanzant says that in fact, forgiveness is essential if you want to be happy. The star of the popular OWN show Iyanla, Fix My Life, her new book Forgiveness encourages everyone to forgive no matter what the transgression. Vanzant explains that forgiveness doesn’t mean that the forgiver condones the actions of someone else.
It simply means that the injured party can free themselves by the act of forgiving. It’s a concept very hard for many to grasp, but Iyanla says that forgiveness is absolutely necessary for people to break free from a hurtful past.
“My motto is ‘Let’s get it clean in 2014. Clean up your mind, clean up your mouth, clean up your heart, clean up your life,” Vanzant told The Tom Joyner Morning Show. “My experience has been that no matter what it is that’s broken, that’s hurting, that’s ailing, that’s not functioning, forgiveness will fix it. If you’re broke, forgiveness will fix it. If you’re sick, forgiveness will fix it. It’s amazing.”
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It’s amazing that people will cling to hurt and pain rather than allow for forgiveness. But for many, the idea that transgressions like cheating and abuse can be forgiven is to hard to grasp. Yet there are always stories of people who have extended forgiveness to murderers who have killed loved ones and others who have done hateful and horrible things yet, for some of us, forgiveness is just too hard a concept.
“Some people become addicted to the suffering. The suffering is familiar. The other thing that I’ve discovered about suffering and anger and sorrow and sadness is that it gives you a reason to stay broken rather than to become great. This is rampant in our community – the sorrow the suffering the sadness and the anger.”
Iyanla’s book asks for 21 days of work to let go of the hurt. She says you may not forgive everyone for everything in 21 days, but if you follow the workbook, you will see a shift in your consciousness.
“We give you a forgiveness kit, with a pen, a journal, a T-shirt, your tea when you get upset,“ laughs Vanzant.
Forgiveness, the book, if not the concept, is available in stores and via download sites, now.
