All of the people and things around us serve as mirrors for ourselves. Nothing can cause us to feel something we are unwilling to feel. The feeling we feel towards someone must originate within ourselves. No one, outside of ourselves, can control our thoughts or feelings. We are the source of our feelings, we are the source of our fears, we are the source of our hurts and we are the source of our forgiveness.
Within relationship to another is found the projection of our own internal, unsettled conflicts. It is through the forgiveness of that other, that we resolve our own internal discords. Others serve as a mirror to our own soul.
The exercise of forgiving others is an exercise in forgiving ourselves. Forgiveness unchains the unyielding heart for the freedom to live and love again.
The nature of forgiveness regenerates life. Forgiveness is not found in judgment, it is found in acceptance. Through acceptance, the workings of struggle are released. That which is unnecessary is released. That which is wisdom is incorporated.
Forgiveness allows change, for after forgiveness, nothing remains as it was but is moved forward towards wisdom. For wisdom is knowledge without bitterness.
Forgiveness is a call to sacrifice. We sacrifice that which we wish could have been for seeing the sacredness of what is now. In sacrifice, we are called into the realm of the sacred. We have the opportunity to acknowledge the sacredness of our relationship with another. Life calls us to take an extra step into deeper understanding of who we are through our relationship with another. These are the experiences that add value and depth to our lives.
As with all true sacrifice, it comes from a place of selflessness, carrying a gift in the form of connectedness to life. In those moments of connectedness, we feel our connection to God, the Universe and Life. That connectedness is the only currency of value that exists.
Recognizing this value brings its own reward: a deeper understanding of ourselves adding to our sense of aliveness. The sacrifice of forgiveness allows us to experience our connectedness to that love. There is love in everything, but our connection to it is a choice.
For more information on Dr. Jim and free affirmations and downloads, log onto his website at www.LAtherapist.com. You may also log onto his award-winning self-help audio site at www.TheDrWaltonSeries.com
