Robert Holden, a renowned psychotherapist, who wrote Happiness Now and Shift Happens: Powerful Ways to Transform Your Life, tells about a life-altering experience that happened to him in a hotel room in Finland. Because he had an evening alone, he decided to meditate on forgiveness for fifteen minutes before he ordered his dinner. As he settled into a comfortable chair and began his forgiveness meditation, he became aware of this thought: “What would it be like to experience total peace?” Two thoughts soon followed: “Forgiveness heals all grievances” and “Forgiveness gives you wings.”He started to let go of all of his grievances for fifteen minutes, and four hours later, he still continued his mediation. One by one, old grievances resurfaced in his mind, including family members, past teachers, clients, and bosses, and unethical politicians and salesmen. After each person came to his mind, he affirmed, "I choose peace instead of this.” As he inhaled, he expressed forgiveness for that person, and as he exhaled, he released all pain, fear and suffering.
By the time he finished, he experienced perfect peace. He said that his "mind was totally free of all judgment, fear, doubt and pain. [His] heart was expanding beyond the edges of [his] body." He felt so happy that he could have disappeared. He discovered, “Whenever I forgive anyone—it sets me free.”
© Carol Brown
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That's so amazing. Part of me definitely needs to forgive myself and God...it's the getting there that's so difficult.
ReplyDeleteKaylanamars, as always, I so enjoy reading your comments. When forgiveness is difficult, it helps to cast our pain and sorrow on the Lord and let Him carry us into forgiveness. As we cast our burdens on Him--including our inability to forgive--He will sustain, strengthen and heal us.
ReplyDeleteMany of us are harder on ourselves than we are on others. We can choose to forgive ourselves for those things that we would freely forgive another. If God asks us to forgive others seventy times seven, surely He willingly forgives us each time we stumble and wants us to show the same compassion to ourselves.
Since God is the source of all that is good, true, and peaceful, if we experience bad, evil, and hurtful things, it comes from another source--either the trials of mortality or Satan. Heavenly Father allows us to suffer so that we can become more compassionate, merciful, and loving. As we express gratitude to Him for our blessings, we discover that our feelings of frustration disappear.
Thanks again for your insightful and sincere comments. Because I have struggled with similar issues to yours, that motivates me to write this blog. I treasure your friendship and always enjoy hearing from you!
Much love, Carol.