SET YOURSELF FREE

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you." — Lewis B. Smedes

For many years, I misunderstood forgiveness. I thought it was something we did for someone else. If another person hurt us, betrayed us, abandoned us, or disappointed us, forgiveness seemed like letting them off the hook. It felt unfair. Why should they be forgiven when they caused the pain? Then one day I heard a simple truth: forgiveness is not about them—it is about you. That realization changed everything.

There have been many experiences in my life where I held tightly to anger, resentment, and hostility. One of the most profound occurred when my kidneys failed at the age of twenty. I was terrified. I felt betrayed by my own body and abandoned by God. Anger rose within me like a wildfire. I railed against Heaven. I accused God of not loving me. I cried, screamed, and unleashed every harsh thought I could find. I became consumed by feelings of injustice and self-pity. I played the role of victim very well. At the time, I believed I had every right to be angry – and indeed I did. The problem was not the anger itself. The problem was that I stayed there. I held onto that rage for a long time. Underneath it all was fear—fear of dying, fear of being alone, fear of an uncertain future. I felt misunderstood, unloved, and completely overwhelmed. Yet instead of processing those emotions, I buried them beneath layers of blame. I became a prisoner of my own "stinkin' thinkin'."

What eventually shifted inside me, I cannot fully explain. Perhaps it was grace. Perhaps it was exhaustion from carrying such a heavy burden. But somewhere along the way, I realized that God was not punishing me. I was punishing myself. I began to see how much energy it took to maintain my anger. Every day I replayed the same story. Every day I reopened the wound. Every day I reinforced the belief that life had wronged me. The prison door had never been locked. I was simply holding the key and refusing to use it.

In many spiritual and holistic traditions, the kidneys are associated with fear. Because they filter waste from the body, they are often seen as symbolic of our ability to release emotional toxins, criticism, old hurts, and past traumas. Whether or not one embraces that perspective, it is an interesting metaphor. My kidneys were struggling physically, but emotionally I was struggling to release what no longer served me. I did not understand then that forgiveness was the medicine my soul desperately needed. Not because God needed my forgiveness. Not because my kidneys needed my forgiveness. Because I needed my forgiveness. I needed to forgive God for not being who I thought God should be. I needed to forgive my body for not functioning the way I wanted it to. Most importantly, I needed to forgive myself for being afraid. Forgiveness does not mean we approve of what happened. It does not mean we deny the pain or pretend everything is fine. It simply means we stop carrying the poison. We stop allowing yesterday's wounds to dictate today's experience. When we forgive, we release ourselves from the chains of the past.

The journey to forgiveness took years for me. It was not a single moment but a series of small choices. Each time I chose compassion over blame, acceptance over resistance, and love over fear, another link in the chain broke away. Eventually, I discovered what Lewis Smedes meant.

The prisoner was never God.

The prisoner was never my circumstances.

The prisoner was me.

And forgiveness was the key that unlocked the door.

Dear Angels, why is forgiveness so difficult for us?

Dear Ones, because forgiveness asks you to release the story that has become part of your identity. Many of you have carried wounds for so long that you no longer know who you would be without them. Yet healing begins when you become willing to lay down the burden. Forgiveness does not erase your experience. It transforms it.

The soul was never designed to carry resentment indefinitely. You were created to flow like a river, allowing life's experiences to move through you rather than become trapped within you. When you forgive, you are not changing the past—you are changing your relationship to it. Freedom begins the moment you choose love over fear.

Angels Whisper: The key to your freedom has always been in your hands. Forgive what was. Bless what is. Trust what will be. When you release the weight of resentment, your soul remembers how to soar.

Today, I promise to always remember that forgiveness is all about me and is the key to my freedom.

Teri Angel is a Joy Guide, Happiness Coach, energy healer, best-selling author, spiritual teacher, mentor, and inspirational speaker devoted to awakening peace within the human heart. As an International Peace Ambassador and founder of the nonprofit Angelspeakers Inc., Teri creates transformative workshops, sacred gatherings, and global initiatives that honor environmental stewardship, animal advocacy, peace consciousness, and the integration of ancient wisdom teachings into modern life.

Through her worldwide movement, Peas For Peace, Teri invites humanity to remember our divine interconnectedness—strengthening awareness of our oneness and inspiring unity through compassion, love, joy, and intentional action. During the Peace On Earth Tour, she was honored with the sacred name “She Who Blesses the Sacred Land,” a title she carries with humility and heartfelt grace as she continues blessing lands and waters around the world.

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