Relationships, of any kind, can sometimes take a turn in unexpected and undesired ways. When that happens, we so often want to “burn bridges” with the people who do us wrong. We waste so much of our precious time on burning bridges, that we don’t notice the opportunities to build something better somewhere else.
Choosing to build another bridge, as opposed to burning one down, means choosing forgiveness and freedom over resentment and resistance. “When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” -Catherine Ponder
Forgiveness does not mean we agree with whatever a person may have done, but rather accept and allow ourselves to move on from the situation without carrying a negative emotional link to them. From that point, we give ourselves the freedom to create other relationships that serve us.
Every time we are thinking about burning that bridge, or cutting ties, we are focusing on what we no longer want in our lives. If we think about what we do want in our lives, and imagine that, we will be more receptive to those situations and feelings associated with what we want, to come into our lives. Leaving the old behind, we can focus on creating something better for ourselves. Plus, we never know who might want to walk across that bridge one day.
Mindartists tip: Think of a bridge that we have burned, and accept and forgive that person or situation entirely. To take it a step further, find our wrong doing because with every situation where resentment was ever held, we played a part in its creation whether it was unrealistic expectations of another, trying to control a situation, or judgments that they should have done something differently in order to satisfy us. We are responsible for satisfying our own desires regardless of another person, and we all do the best we can given our current state of mind and circumstances. After accepting and forgiving the other person, and acknowledging our wrong doings, we can accept and forgive ourselves. Then we can give ourselves permission to release those defects in character that contributed to the situation so we don't carry out similar patterns in the future bridges we build.