Some wounds don’t heal quickly.
We carry them—sometimes for decades.
We try to let them go, and yet the anger lingers.
The disgust resurfaces.
The forgiveness never quite lands.
And in the background, the silent question rises again:
“Why can’t I let this go?”
Whether the trauma comes from childhood or something more recent, there’s a universal thread that binds us all:
We’ve all closed our hearts at some point to survive.
But when we close our hearts to others… we also close our hearts to the Divine.
And in doing so, we limit the flow of love, joy, and abundance that is our birthright.
This is why true healing asks something deeper from us.
It asks for inclusion.
🌿 Healing Isn’t About Rejection—It’s About Remembrance
We often think healing means getting rid of the pain, purging the memories, erasing the scars.
But healing isn’t exile.
It’s inclusion.
It’s saying to the part of us that’s still angry,
still bitter,
still protective:
“You belong. You deserve a seat at the fire too.”
Even if you’re not ready to forgive the one who hurt you—
Can you begin by offering compassion to the part of yourself still carrying the pain?
🍃 The Bitter Herbs of the Soul
There’s a reason bitter herbs have been used in medicine for thousands of years.
They’re powerful detoxifiers. They draw out what is stagnant, what no longer serves.
But they don’t always feel good.
Drink a bitter brew and your body may respond with nausea, sweating, or emotional waves.
You might even blame the plant for how you feel.
But the herb didn’t cause the toxicity.
It simply revealed what was already there—
so it could finally be released.
Trauma, too, often works this way.
The people and experiences that evoke our deepest pain…
they’re like spiritual bitters.
They expose the bitterness we’ve stored inside—so that we can finally let it go.
But first, we must face it.
🪞 You Are Not Your Wounds
A big part of the journey is remembering this:
You are not your trauma.
You are not your bitterness.
You are not your inability to forgive.
You are not defined by your past, no matter how heavy it feels.
And yet—your past has shaped how you see yourself.
That’s what makes the process of healing so sacred… and so hard.
Even people who believe deeply in their worth, still struggle with the inner voice that says:
“What if I’m not enough?”
“What if I mess it up again?”
But that voice exists in everyone.
And it connects us in a way we often forget.
🤝 From Judgment to Compassion
When we stop trying to prove that we’re better than those who hurt us—
and instead acknowledge our shared humanity—
a doorway opens.
We realize:
The people who harmed us…
may have been acting from pain, confusion, or patterns they didn’t know how to change.
It doesn’t make it okay.
But it helps us release the grip of resentment.
Because holding on doesn’t hurt them—
It only poisons us.
And the antidote to that poison is not denial.
It’s truth,
grief,
and a willingness to feel what’s underneath.
🔥 Forgiveness as Freedom
Forgiveness isn’t about erasing the past.
It’s about choosing not to carry it forward.
It’s not a spiritual bypass.
It’s a spiritual breakthrough.
It’s when you finally stop judging yourself for not healing faster.
When you stop blaming your body for protecting you the only way it knew how.
And yes—there will be grief.
Because all those years you thought you were judging them…
you were really judging yourself.
But when you finally say “I’m sorry” to your own heart…
When you thank your body for surviving…
When you stop fighting your bitterness and instead let it move through you like medicine…
That’s when healing truly begins.
🌌 The Eternal Perspective
You are not responsible for what happened to you.
But you are responsible for how you carry it now.
It may feel like you’ve spent years circling the pain—
but in the eyes of eternity, a few decades is just a blink.
And the moment you shift,
the moment you remember who you are…
You are transformed.
And that transformation lasts forever.
So let the bitterness rise.
Let the memories burn.
Let the tears come.
It’s not a breakdown.
It’s a cleanse.
Let it be the bitter medicine that opens the heart again—
To God.
To life.
To yourself.
✍🏽 Integration Invitation
This week, try one or more of the following:
-
Journaling Prompt:
What pain am I still carrying that I’m ready to face—without shame, without judgment? -
Mirror Practice:
Look into your eyes and say:
“I see you. I trust you. I forgive you.” -
Embodied Action:
Take one step toward healing, even if it’s small.
A walk, a prayer, a conversation, a release.
And remember:
Forgiveness isn’t a feeling.
It’s a frequency you choose to attune to, again and again—
until it softens your heart…
and opens your life to something greater.