A Prayer for Children: Forgiveness

Forgiveness Sets Us Free

Moving through life holding on to hurt or anger is like strapping a load of bricks to your body and never taking them off. Aside from the discomfort, it would change the way you live and alter every relationship you have. It would come between you and everything you wanted to do.

If a child you love is having issues with forgiveness, a simple activity can quickly bring home the impact that unforgiveness has on us. Keep it brief. Dress the child in bulky clothing so they can’t function with ease or have them carry something that will get in their way. Then move through a short list of activities like picking up things or trying to navigate through tight spots. After the experiment, discuss the discoveries made.

It’s easy to feel justified in being angry or feeling wounded, and most of us have a strong sense of wanting to see justice served. It’s understandable. But lashing out at others or limiting our lives does nothing to bring justice or get back at the person who hurt us. It simply serves to continue the cycle of hurt, adding more people to it.

When someone wounds us, it is important to take practical steps to right the wrong if we can. We may decide to exclude that person from our life, and we should surely seek out professional help to heal if we need it. But the most important step for our own health and growth is forgiveness. Whether or not we receive an apology, it is imperative to let go of whatever we might be carrying.

Here’s another illustrative activity, and all you need is a way to blow bubbles.

First, find a comfortable space and take a moment to center yourself in the awareness that God is present everywhere, in everything, in every instant. Remind yourself that whatever happened is in the past and you are safe in this moment. Then recall the person or situation you want to release and picture it stepping into the center of your body. Imagine placing it in a bubble inside you, fully contained and unable to escape. Now send it waves and waves of love.

As you do, visualize the hurt shrinking, getting smaller and smaller with every wave of love, until it’s so small it disappears. Once you feel the inner bubble is filled with love, take a deep breath and blow the whole situation into a real bubble, wrapped in love. Watch it until it pops or pop it yourself, knowing you have released the hurt or anger from your body, transmuted into love, so that only love is sent out into the world. This process can be repeated endlessly, anytime unforgiveness becomes apparent.

A Prayer for Forgiveness for All Children

In that sacred space within me, I feel love arising. Connecting with God within, I feel that love magnified. I see love radiating outward from me in waves, bathing the world in the energy of divine forgiveness. Once I feel it has expanded as far as it can, I envision every being bathed in divine love. With gratitude I celebrate with amen.

A Shared Family Prayer for Forgiveness

We come together in the energy of forgiveness now, feeling the power of love and light within us. We send this love and light outward to everyone on earth. We feel the energy of forgiveness traveling through every heart. Grateful for our shared strength and knowing our energy travels easily through all beings, we say thank you, God, and amen.