Forgiveness is one of those words and the deed many people turn away from because of the meaning they give it. Often it is thought of as a religious act. This can be off-putting even for those who call themselves spiritual and even worse for people who have no conscious spiritual beliefs. Prayer can also have some negative connotations attached to it. As we shift our perception we can see that the power of prayer, giving and receiving of forgiveness can radically change lives
How else can we get past the hurts we have cast upon others and those cast upon us? We know we can't change what happened. This means acceptance, doesn't it? And is forgiveness the same as unconditional acceptance?I think so.
Often, the delay in asking for and receiving forgiveness comes when we don't think we deserve to ask or are worthy of being forgiven. I came to realise that, it isn't the problem that's too big to be forgiven, but our worth is too low. As we raise faithwe allow that to become the powerful driver behind the prayer, the words we use become less important and the works become more powerful.
When you come from faith you become more comfortable to ask or to say what feels right for you. The other great advantage of raising faith (and lowering fear) is that you can spend more time living and less time forgiving. As you overcome the accumulation of all those so-called unforgivable things of the past you are left facing the present and the Presence which means transformation takes place much quicker and easier.
Recently, it felt as if every unresolved issue was being presented to me to be resolved and often through prayer and forgiveness. Much of this wasn't about anyone else, or about any so-called sinful act but about my own self-imposed doubts and feelings of unworthiness. I came to realise that asking to be forgiven for doubting and worrying was a good start. And asking to correct those incorrect ideas of being unworthy was huge. When you look at these alone, you will see they are the link which chain a whole bunch of other sins, problems or hurts together. I say 'hurts' because when we are not hurting we won't 'do hurt' nearly as much. Only those who are hurting can hurt them self and others. Those who love, do so unto themselves and others. As we ease the hurt, we ease the hurtful things we do.
I don't call my self a Christian but I still feel a strong connection to the Love of Jesus and still look inward for my direction, mentoring and healing. So I still use prayer and the power of 'letting go' to release any hurts. As far as I am concerned there is no reason why we can't use new-age and old-age, religious and non-religious remedies, rituals and healings together. Surely, if it all works for the good of the whole then it has to all be of God, right?
We often let ourselves down by hanging on the hurts done to us or hurts we did to others. Having acknowledged thoseso-calledwrong-doings, we can simply cast them all upon the Christ within. As you cast them make sure you LET GO. We can state what we are letting go of separately or having acknowledged them, we can package them all up and declare our release. So this is what I said:
'I cast this heavy burden upon the Christ within. It no longer belongs to me or burdens me and I go free to fulfil my purpose and love in Life'. Thank you it is done.It took me a long time to get that letting goof the burden allows God to take it up. This relieves me and raises me up more in faith.
Being present throughout the day allows us to quickly become aware when we have an unkind thought, or we say or do something inappropriate. We can also, out of the blue become aware of someone we are still holding a grudge against. I have come to learn that when this happens, it's me,not them who needs to ask for forgiveness, because holding a grudge in its self is unhealthy and inappropriate. I see all of this as God revealing to me what needs to be undone and corrected. In these circumstances, I simply take a few moments to stop, and say a prayer along the lines of:
I'm sorry Jane, please forgive me, Thank you, I love you'
The basic ingredients of this prayer can be found through an old Indigenous Hawaiian healing practice of reconciliation and forgiveness called Ho'noponopono, which means correction.
You will find that sometimes this is enough and you can be confident that the undoing and the correction has been done. Sometimes you may need to give more time to acknowledging and releasing what it is you are sorry for.
I'm sorry Jane, please forgive me for holding onto this grudge and unkind thoughts. Even though you said some things which were offensive, I am less than if I can't forgive. Thank you for making me a better person, I love you'
I am reminded of the simplicity of it all when we focus on those powerful things, that make up the prayer. Acknowledgement, forgiveness, gratitude, and praise. I'm sorry, please forgive me, Thank you I love you.
This prayer combines both the casting upon the Christ within and asking for forgiveness:
God, I'm sorry for not having the faith to step out and be bold. I cast this doubt, worry and unworthiness upon the Christ within and I am free to faithfully answer my calling. Thank you, I know I have all the support I need and I stand tall and in complete faith that the unfolding of your will through me is already being done, I love you.
I remember someone saying once "Don't go to bed with a grouch - along side you or inside you" How true this is. That's a lot of hours to be holding a grouch or a grudge, right? Doesn't it make sense to be rid of it before we go to sleep? We develop a healthy ritual of cleaning our bodies and our teeth every day, often twice a day. What about our mind? Surely as we spend a little time in prayer we can ask to be forgiven and have our hearts and minds cleansed of any or all wrong-doings. Then's it's all forgotten before we go to bed. At the same time, if there is someone we need to forgive we can ask, and let them off the hook too. This way we all go to bed clean and peaceful, right?
Recently I was made aware of a grudge I held against some people 25 years ago. I had no idea it was there. When brought into the light I could see and feel a lot of unresolved hurt and grief around this experience which I believed hindered my life from that point on. However once I allowed the grief to shift through me, I could see the main damage was done in me holding onto that belief and the unforgiveness for all those years. Having gone through the process of forgiving them I had to ask to forgive myself for holding on for sooooo long.
Do you remember the Lord's prayer? I learnt this by heart as a kid and have never forgotten it even though I haven't used it much since. Today, as I am able to leave religion out of the equation, I find a much deeper meaning and feelings of gratitude through this old but simple prayer. It no longer feels as if I am asking, or just repeating words. I's as if I am affirming what is available for us every moment of every day. And when you look, you will find this is very much attuned to other rituals and prayers because it is still based on acknowledgement, forgiving and giving, thanks and praise.
Let's be brave and mix the old and the new, the religious and non-religious together to create wholeness, shall we? As we are all forgiving and forgiving all, we can all rest in Faith and absolute love.
Marie Brunger is an accomplished and inspired author, speaker and healer. Her latest book "I AM a Spiritual Approach to Mental Health is a result of a decision she made over 20 years ago to heal her life and to help others to do the same. Her time spent working with people with mental health issues has substantiated a need to include Spirituality as an important role for the prevention, intervention and recovery of mental wellness
Marie has supported thousands of people through their personal and life threatening challenges to find the freedom to choose who they want in the drivers' seat of their life - Love or fear.
Her philosophy is simple. Instead of searching for what's wrong, and fixing the perceived problem, we look to find all that's right. She says: "I am committed to restoring Faith and making it the foundations for a life of well-being. These strong foundations allow me and you to venture safely and more naturally through the fear to enjoying a higher level of living, loving and achieving. [https://www.mariebrunger.com
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Marie_Brunger/2287950
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