Many people live their current lives with their feet and hands shackled by their past. They have lived it their whole lives and they do not know they are shackled. It hinders their relationships with the people they love and who love them. It may also hinder their relationships with God.

My way of coping with it is by asking "why". Why do I think I do not deserve to be treated this way or that way? Why did I blew up in anger when I heard others said this or that? Why did I think others owe me?

What happened in the past that made me bitter about a small detail on such and such topics? Who hurt me in the past that I still resent all through this day?

I always felt much lighter and freer when I found the root cause and then forgive whatever or whoever that was.

Forgiving unshackles the past. And helps me move forward with more peace and more joy. All by the grace of God.