Saturday, May 2, 2015
Lesson 122: “Forgiveness offers everything I want.”
We are being trained in the Course to learn to accept forgiveness and apply it without reserve. We are learning that forgiveness is the only thing we need to feel. Forgiveness brings us to the state of serenity when we find our peace with God and with ourselves.
What we learn is that forgiveness is something we must learn to do endlessly wherever we go and whatever we do. But the Course helps us to see that what we previously might considered forgiveness may be entirely off the mark as far as what is the Godly energy to apply. Forgiveness in the world’s eyes is often applied with a sense of expecting return or forgiving with a sense that we are owed- to forgive for something other than love and peace. The first thing we need to do is realize just when forgiveness is or is not currently aligned with Godly intention.
Jesus in the Course teaches us that forgiveness is for the sole purpose of extending love where there appears to be a block in love. Forgiveness allows the dissolving of the block. When we forgive with a God-intent, we do so simply because we want to share love with everyone. Further, if we are blaming or holding someone hostage in not forgiving then we can’t accomplish this sense of joining in love. Forgiveness results in peace when we do it. This can also be a motive but the peace is because we are not in attack mode with any others. We simply get off the battlefield and then we can energetically join with all others because we aren’t holding them at arm’s length with a roster of grievances.
Therefore, we need to first become adequately aware of what forgiveness is in God’s terms. Then we can apply it because when we realize how extraordinarily wonderful it feels to meet our brothers and sisters with a light heart of forgiving love. Also, we realize we want to forgive and that this is the state of mind that will ultimately bring us utter joy because we are forgiving as a constant, habitual state. This then is the foundation of all we want.
We are asked to just spend a moment with how it feels to sit in the grace of forgiveness and then realize that this approach to life is the greatest sense of peace we could ever find. And this sense of peace- an energetic joy- can be carried throughout every aspect of life. A lot of us have our egos whispering in our ear that happiness comes from externals and form, like the world’s gifts. The Course wants us to love those things and bless them when they come and bless them when they go, but don’t look for the foundation of our own peace or joy there. These things are always transitory. Thank them for being fun and then refocus on the realization that forgiveness is the only perfect way to peace.