"ABOUT FORGIVENESS"
“The Father in heaven has forgiven you even before you have thought to ask him, but such forgiveness is not available in your personal religious experience until such a time as you forgive your fellow men.” [UB, 146:2.4]
Thought Adjuster: “The inability to forgive holds one handcuffed to unpleasant past experiences. Holding grudges weighs a soul down and keeps it anchored in and obsessed by real or perceived offenses. Think for a moment about the offenses that are so hard for you to let go of, be it the betrayal of your trust, the bruising of your feelings, the outrage you feel at the unloving or disrespectful way you may have been treated… The list of grudges festering in human hearts goes on and on.
Some offenses belong in the realm of pettiness, while others are more serious: the loss of a loved one through an act of violence; the embezzlement of life savings through an ill-intentioned scam, etc. Some offenses are unintentional, while others are dipped in iniquity. Your world abounds with such occurrences, and many of them seem beyond the scope of human forgiveness.
‘For-give-ness’ is a ‘gift’ from the heart. The Father’s Heart is always wide open. It is a grudge-free zone. He does not take personal offenses, as He unconditionally loves His ignorant and immature evolving creatures, making a generous allowance for their shortcomings.
Total forgiveness must, therefore, move through the heart of the creatures. It is like a gust of fresh air, moving into your heart from the Father’s Heart. Yet the window of your heart must be wide open to let it move through it and fully purify it of any stagnant and stinking emotions. This is why, to be fully integrated in your being, forgiveness has to circulate to move through you toward others.
Compassion is the key to forgiveness. How much empathy do you feel toward others? During his life in the flesh, Jesus was on the lookout for any opportunity to get insights in his fellow men. He spent much time conversing with them, getting to know their life story. He did not judge; he listened. He did not point an accusatory finger, nor did he throw stones at them; instead, he intervened to stop in their tracks those who were intent on doing so.
How can you truly appreciate forgiveness and its liberating power if you are still weighted down by your inability to forgive—to let go? You cannot be liberated by the Father’s forgiveness while being held hostage by your grudges. This is not total freedom.
By forgiving your fellow men, your soul can finally soar free. It severs all attachments to painful or ugly past experiences. It stops dragging their dead weight after itself, thus becoming free to soar to higher spiritual altitudes and fully relish the Father’s forgiving embrace. “Treat others as you want to be treated.” Send silent blessings to those who seem to make your life difficult. Aren’t they your teachers in the flesh, since they present you with opportunities to gain self-mastery?
Forgiveness is the ransom you pay to those who hold you emotionally hostage. It loosens the unhealthy grip they have on you. Wouldn’t you rather be drawn by the power of attraction of Higher Realms than being held down by the gravitational force of your emotional murk?
Forgiveness is God lifting the weight of guilt and regret off your shoulders. It is God telling you to look forward to the glory of His eternal promises rather than turning your back on them, being so busy pointing the finger at past offenses that you fail to perceive the ever-renewed landscapes of your life journey.”
