THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS OF PROSPERITY by Edwene Gaines

Author:Edwene Gaines
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rodale Inc.
Published: 2015-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

PART THREE

THE THIRD LAW: FORGIVENESS

CHAPTER 6

THE MYSTERIOUS POWER OF FORGIVENESS

Why should we forgive the people who have done us wrong? After all, isn’t there something satisfying about turning your back on someone who has behaved badly? Something powerful about cutting that person out of your life? Something comforting about knowing that he or she is really to blame for what’s wrong with your life? The truth is, no matter how good these emotions feel in the moment, they cannot and do not bring true or lasting happiness.

Harboring a grudge completely blocks our ability to have peace of mind. All sorts of studies indicate that negative thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors affect our mental and physical health, our success, and our self-worth. An unwillingness to forgive is like stabbing ourselves with a knife and expecting the person who did us wrong to feel the pain. Forgiveness is not something we do for the sake of another person. Forgiveness is something we do for ourselves.

Think of forgiveness as emotional housecleaning. It lets us make room for the good we desire. It also lets us go as far as we can on this spiritual journey and receive all the universe has to offer. If we refuse to forgive, we are clinging to self-defeating feelings such as guilt, shame, blame, hurt, and resentment, and when we do this, we cannot feel truly worthy of having the best God can give us; we cannot—and will not—accept God’s gifts.

Many folks find practicing forgiveness almost as difficult as tithing. Some folks might even find it more difficult. But we have to do it, and no one is exempt. It was one of Jesus’ main teachings, after all, and he was very clear about what he wanted us to do.

CHRIST AND FORGIVENESS

My belief is that Jesus came to this planet to teach us some remarkable things. He came to teach us how to master materiality. He wanted to teach us how to turn water into wine, to manifest divinity with whatever was at hand, to heal the sick with a word, a touch, a little mud and spit.

But when Jesus got here and saw what he had to work with, he revised his plans and began with the most basic of teachings, the kindergarten teachings, the Dick and Jane teachings, if you will. Over and over, Jesus stressed his most fundamental edicts—that we must love one another and that we must forgive one another.

Have we made any progress in these areas since he last paid us a visit? Hardly. It’s been two thousand years, and yet here we are still saying, “We don’t want to forgive. It is their fault; they are to blame.” Sometimes I think if Jesus came back now he would just thump us for being so pigheaded. Just thump us!

We have to learn how to let go of long-harbored resentments and finally just forgive. We have to forgive our ex-spouses who didn’t live up to our expectations. (How annoying it was of them to not be who we wanted them to be!) We have to forgive our children.

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