Forgiveness: I should or ought to...

When I feel like 'I should' or 'ought to' do anything -- that includes Forgiveness -- then I have unwittingly brought my false self (ego) to replace my true Self (my identity as love) -- because love does not or cannot demand anything...


Love sits quietly and waits and does not judge (so it would never need to do anything; so there is nothing it should or would or could do -- in fact it cannot do anything)


So, just by making the observation that I'm feeling that 'tinge' of guilt (the shoulda/coulda/woulda/oughta), I can recognize that as a red flag as the ego's offering of guilt to my decision making mind -- if I decide to choose for guilt


But forgiveness gives me an alternative -- there is another choice which appears to be its opposite (if that were possible) -- to be in the moment and extend love


Parting thought: I can make the choice to experience love in this moment whenever I feel the need that i really should/ought to do anything -- peace will be the reward

Forgiveness: Who Has the Key?

If all I need to do is forgive, how do I really accomplish that in my daily life?  It would be so nice if I could just find the key to forgiveness, it seems I've been searching and searching for the longest time for that key; I think I may have found an answer that makes total sense to me:

My brother holds the key to my forgiveness

What?  You mean I can only forgive if I first look to my brother?  I can't believe I did not make that connection earlier, I mean I've heard about projecting my guilt onto my brother and that in order to see myself as 'sinless' I need to first see it in my brother, but this passage made it clear to me that my brother really holds the key; without his key I cannot forgive:

The key you threw away God gave your brother, whose holy hands would offer it to you when you were ready to accept His plan for your salvation in the place of yours.  How could this readiness be reached save through the sight of all your misery, and the awareness that your plan has failed, and will forever fail to bring you peace and joy of any kind?  Through this despair you travel now, yet it is but illusion of despair. The death of specialness is not your death, but your awaking into life eternal. You but emerge from an illusion of what you are to the acceptance of yourself as God created you. (T-24, II. 14)

How happy I am to finally found the key, for everytime I see my brother as sinful (separate; which is most of the time), I just need to look again and see that he has the key, I can imagine it as a key on a chain around his neck, waiting there for me to gently take it back -- to see him and myself as sinless -- one

parting thought:  have fun taking the key back

Reflect Perfect Peace

As I was reading last night, I was thinking that we are all 'reflectors'; that each one of us serves as a reflector to others and we can either reflect love (forgiveness and healing) or fear

Parting thought:  I can look at everything I see as a reflection of what is going on in my mind -- and when I choose fear (which will be most of the time), I can then pause and remember there is always another choice -- perfect peace -- love -- that is always there waiting patiently for me to choose

 

Forget to Forgive -- then Forgive Yourself For It

One of the best ways to practice forgiveness is to first forget to forgive and then forgive yourself for it

So whenever something happens and I have an attack thought and I forget to forgive (which is really on purpose but that's another blog); that is good news because then there is another opportunity for me to forgive myself for not forgiving...

And over time, as I forgive myself for not forgiving, forgiveness will come more naturally as it is not really the object of my attack that needs forgiveness, but myself for thinking that I could attack in the first place (i.e., taking the thought of attack (separation) seriously).

parting thought: here's to practicing the "F" word :-D

Failure to Remember to Forgive

On the way to work today, again, a bicyclist was impeding in 'my' lane (as if i own the roadway); being in auto-ego mode first thing in the morning, i quickly dumped all my hate onto the bicyclist..but there is a miracle here..'wait for it'..

but instead of being overwhelmed over the 'guilt' for once again spewing my self-hate onto someone else (so that I can feel guiltless (at least for a couple seconds)),

[Now, here is the lesson:]

i quickly asked for different way to look at it (because i really do know inside that the bicyclist was not the cause of my guilt).

the lesson is that I did not let the guilt of my first attack prevent me from asking for help, so I was able to receive the correction (the miracle).

Parting thought: today, as I begin to feel guilty for anything that arises in my mind, instead of feeling like a bad student, my right mind can remind my decision maker that this is just another opportunity to ask for help if I so choose...that's all..just another opportunity for correction, nothing else, nothing more...freedom from pangs of guilt at last...

One Mind One Dream

So begins our forgiveness blog; our discussion (so please post your thoughts too) of our only function; 

Forgiveness

So, if forgiveness is our only function, then it would seem that I should be able to easily define it, but so far that is not the case.  But as I read about it and try and practice it I see many references to forgiveness that make sense to me:

Here are some lines from workbook lesson 62 that describe forgiveness as our means of remembering that we are one Self:

Forgiveness is the demonstration that you are the light of the world. Through your forgiveness does the truth about yourself return to your memory. Therefore, in your forgiveness lies your salvation.

Illusions about yourself and the world are one. That is why all forgiveness is a gift to yourself. Your goal is to find out who you are, having denied your Identity by attacking creation and its Creator. Now you are learning how to remember the truth. For this attack must be replaced by forgiveness, so that thoughts of life may replace thoughts of death.

Parting thought:  As we go about our day, at any time we can ask for help to fulfill our only function as we remember and are willing and able, we will be at peace