FORGIVENSS

Who do you need to forgive? Yourself, your parents, friends, spouse, partner, or maybe the guy who cut you off on the freeway. Anyone who is destroying your joy and ability to love. Is who you need to forgive.
1. Yourself is the number one person you need to forgive. Do you love yourself? Is there something keeping you stuck from loving yourself? Forgiving yourself first will enable you to forgive others.
2. Do you need to forgive your parents? Whether we like it or not, our mother is our primary image of an adult woman, and our father is our primary image of an adult man. If we hold grievances against our mother, than if we are a man, we will not be able to escape the projection of guilt onto other adult women who come into our lives; and if we are a woman, we will not be able to escape self -condemnation as we grow into our womanhood. If we hold grievances against our father, then if we are a woman, we will not be able to escape projection of guilt onto other adult men who come into our lives; and if we are a man, we will not be able to escape self-condemnation as we grow into our manhood.

Why should you forgive that person? Are you stuck in the past? Going over and over what so and so did to you? Do you want to get even? Who is this really hurting?

From The Shack by Wm. Paul Young:
Forgiveness is first for you, the forgiver. To release you from something that will eat you alive, that will destroy your joy and your ability to love fully and openly.

Who is destroying your joy and ability to love? Do you think that they care about the pain and torment you have gone through? If anything, some people feed on that knowledge. Don’t you want to cut that off? And in doing so, you’ll release that person from a burden that they carry whether they know it or not---acknowledges it or not. When you choose to forgive another, you love him well. You may say to yourself, “I do not love that person.” But God would say, “But I do, not for what he’s become, but for the broken child that has been twisted by his pain. I want to help you take on the nature that finds more power in love and forgiveness than hate.”
You may ask yourself, “ If I forgive this person then do we just become buddies?”

From The Shack:
“I already told you that forgiveness does not create a relationship. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their minds and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release him from judgment, but without true change, no real relationship can be established.”
“So forgiveness does not require me to pretend what he did never happened?”
“How can you?” You forgave your dad last night. Will you ever forget what he did to you?”
“I don’t think so?”
“But now you can love him in the face of it. His change allows for that. Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive. But should he finally confess and repent, you will discover a miracle in your own heart that allows you to reach out and begin to build between you a bridge of reconciliation. And sometimes---and this may seem incomprehensible to you right now---that road may even take you to the miracle of fully restored trust.”
So how do you go about forgiving?
“Just say it out loud. There is power in what my children declare.” “I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you.”
“So is it all right if I’m still angry?”
“Absolutely! What he did was terrible. He caused incredible pain to many. It was wrong, and anger is the right response to something that is so wrong. But don’t let anger and pain and loss you feel prevent you from forgiving him and removing your hands from around his neck.”
“Son, you may have to declare your forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day will be less and each day after, until one day you will realize that you have forgiven completely. And then one day you will pray for his wholeness and give him over to me so that my love will burn from his life every vestige of corruption. As incomprehensible as it sounds at this moment, you may well know this man in a different context one day.”

That passage from The Shack is what helped me to forgive. There is so much truth and power to it. When you are stuck in your hatred and feel justified in your anger. Ask yourself, “How does this anger and hatred serve me? What is it costing me?” Peace, joy, and your ability to love fully and openly. Are you willing to give up your hurt? Let’s look at the trade off you get when you forgive.

In A Course In Miracles it talks about:
The Forgiven World
Can you imagine how beautiful those you forgive will look to you? In no fantasy have you ever seen anything so lovely. Nothing you see here, sleeping or waking, comes near to such loveliness. And nothing will you value like unto this, nor hold so dear. Nothing that you remember that made your heart sing with joy has ever brought you even a little part of the happiness this sight will bring you. For you will see the Son of God. You will behold the beauty the Holy Spirit loves to look upon, and which He thanks the Father for. He was created to see this for you, until you learned to see it for yourself. And all His teaching leads to seeing it and giving thanks with Him.
This loveliness is not a fantasy. It is the real world, bright and clean and new, with everything sparkling under the open sun. Nothing is hidden here, for everything has been forgiven and there are no fantasies to hide the truth. The bridge between that world and this is so little and so easy to cross, that you could not believe it is the meeting place of worlds so different. Yet this little bridge is the strongest thing that touches on this world at all. This little step, so small it has escaped your notice, is a stride through time into eternity, beyond all ugliness into beauty that will enchant you, and will never cease to cause you wonderment at its perfection.

Not only will the world be a thing of beauty to you but forgiveness will bring the world of darkness to light. It is your forgiveness that lets you recognize the light in which you see. Let that light fill your heart and being. Let the world be a thing of beauty. FORGIVE!

Watch Out For Deer!

It's almost 6:30 where is he? I told him to be here a little after 6:00. The meeting starts at 6:30. I called him at 6:11 he said he was almost here. It takes 25 minutes to get across the mountain to Alpine. Glen will be upset. He didn't want to stay for the meeting. He will be wondering where we are. Trent is always late. Got my coat on ready to go. Check the front door window pane one more time. Oh great, it is 6:29 he is finally here. He stopped at KFC. Now I'll have to drive so he can eat. Step on the accelerator. Late! Late! Late! Hurry up. Why are they going slow. Bunch of idiots. Tailgate. Oh No! Slam on the brakes. Swerve. Almost hit the deer. She is just sitting in the middle of the road. Where does your anger get you? Angels help her she must be scared and confused.

Where does your anger get you? How does it serve you? No one can make you angry. They can only make YOUR anger come out. Stop and think. Who will your anger hurt? Watch out for deer (dear) in your life.

I have a dream that our world will evolve to a place of peace, harmony, joy, and love. That each individual will realize their divine purpose. That we will raise the world consciousness to a greater level of understanding each other. It all begins with you. Take your own Spiritual Baby Steps to realize the divine person you are. Like a stone thrown into the still blue lake watch the ripples of your own awareness ripple to others around you and create the world of peace, harmony, joy, and love.