The AC Phoenix
December 2002
Page 7
The Power of
Forgiveness
John Raye
by John Raye
You can read it for yourself because its right there in
the bible; we are suppose to forgive those who lie, cheat,
steal, abuse or misuse our trust and friendship. Yes, we are
suppose to forgive our enemies...period! Without excuses, without qualifications.
But its hard to forgive someone who lie or deceive, someone who really abused
your trust, or took advantage of your friendship.
Not only are you suppose to forgive but forget as well; forget whatever wrong
was done to you! To forgive and then forget what someone did to you is indeed
a hard biscuit to swallow. It takes tremendous skill, supreme patience and
supreme courage to forgive someone who disappoint or whose word is not bond
and who, quite intentionally, stole your dreams or broke your heart.
Plain and simple, its hard, real hard to forgive a lying tongue. How do you
forgive a liar? A thief...a bold, two-faced crook?
People whom you held in high confidence, whom you greatly admired,
deceived, lied or left you looking foolish or embarrassed in public and who caused
much anger or resentment to rise in you is cause, seemingly, for retribution. Its
human nature to want to strike back, to even the score, so to speak.
Truth be told, you want your enemies to feel some pain too! It takes an
extraordinary soul who, instead of striking back, reacts before acting by turning
the other cheek. Having the capacity to checkmate your emotions is the apex of
self-mastery.
But how does one forgive the stupidity and viciousness of a John
Muhammad and Lee Malvo, the alleged snipers who caused so much grief ? Or
the horrifying crimes of those high placed hucksters at Enron and WorldCom! We
are supposed to forget what they did? And forgive them also?
The tenth sniper victim was Ken Bridges, a Philadelphia-based entrepreneur
and father of six wonderful children. I greatly admired this man, his genuine
humility, and his brilliant, above- genius mind. Ken left the prestigious Wharton
School of Finance, with an MBA degree, which he could have, but did not take to
corporate America. Instead, he went back into the trenches, working to better the
condition of the have-nots and the left-outs of our nation.
He committed his life to serving people, to improving the life of people at the
bottom of the economic ladder. I grieve for the loss of his life as well as the great
hurt placed upon his family. I grieve also for the thousands of families
devastated by the thievery of those nimble footed, spineless, white-shirted crooks
at Enron and WorldCom. Think about the lives they destroyed!
And we are supposed to forgive, and then forget?
Release Your Anger
Walking around with a puffed up chest filled with resentment and anger,
sadness or depression can destroy you. Pent up anger, lingering animosity or
outright hatred will suck every bit of energy from your spirit! Little can be accom
plished with a dead spirit!
Dead energy is released when you decided to forgive someone; you feel so
much better when you let go of anger, of resentment, of despair, of shame, hate
or regret. Hating another person, for whatever reason, is counter-productive and
totally self-defeating.
Any form of hate including self-hatred creates blisters in your spirit; tumors in your
soul.
When you allow yourself to hate or resent another person, the toxic seed of
discouragement is being built up in your own spirit. Look at the damage
slavery did to America! The lasting effect of this “peculiar institution” gave birth
to America's infamous Civil War, claimed more than 600,000 lives and continues to
this day! And segregation made everyone a victim.
It takes great energy to hold on to a grudge. The only way to be truly free, to
be the master of all your emotions, is to bless and release those who cause
harm, hurt or damage in your life. Instead of cursing, bless and release those
who dislike you. Bless and release those who stole or lied to you, with you,
and on you!
The most effective way to release toxic energy is to forgive and then
forget. People who hold on to negative energy or carry grudges are little more
than walking time bombs, waiting to self-destruct. The inability or unwillingness to
forgive compromises your creativity, corrupts your thinking and distorts your
vision. You become an unfortunate parasite choking on the residue of your own
vomit!
Lead With Your Faith
Your strength and energy becomes stronger the moment you make the
decision to forgive. This is best accomplished by activating your faith. Allow your
faith to lead the way. Hatred, sadness or depression creates a vacuum in your
emotions. You become the victor, and know longer a victim, the moment you
forgive, forget and then move on with your life. When you forgive another person,
you unload a heavy burden. You release excess, toxic energy because forgive
ness is an act of purification. It is also, and very much so, an act of faith that can
lead to monumental freedom.
When you are ready to forgive someone, do so by declaring your intentions;
activate and intensify your faith; decree your concerns to an authority higher
than yourself. Decree the following with absolute faith:
“This is a brand new day; an opportunity for a new beginning. I consciously
and unconsciously forgive all the harm, hurt and damage done to me by (insert
name). This individual, and this deed, will no longer be an occupation of my mind.
I am moving forward with a brand new agenda. I have places to go, things to do
and see, I have people who need my help; there are lives to save, burdens to be
lifted. Therefore, my mind is clear, my soul is rested and I feel no strain or stress.
I am at peace, perfect peace with people everywhere, and also with myself. I
now bless and release those who interfered with my life. I released them to
another consciousness, in another time and in another place. They are forever
away from my spirit. I am now free to begin again, to move forward again, with
burdens lifted and blessings flowing again. I affirm my divine right to power,
peace, prosperity, absolute glory and all of his amazing grace, now and for
ever! And so it is!”
Always Forgive Yourself
Forgiveness is a personal matter. Some people, no matter how hard they try, are
never quite able to forgive. This is because they fail to forgive themselves!
Forgiveness is an act of self-empowerment; you must first forgive yourself before
forgiving others. You must first detoxify your own spirit by working on your self.
Purge those evil, negative, creeping thoughts from your spirit. Cease entertain
ing bad thoughts. Anoint your mind with majestic, divine, inspirational, uplifting
thoughts and words of endearment.
Speak what you really want by acknowledging that you are not powerless;
that there is power in your spoken word. Speak some good into your life, by
decreeing, from this moment on, goodwill, joy, peace, power and plenty for every
soul that crosses your path. Speak prosperity into every household, and be sure
to include your house hold! And quickly speak some joy into your own spirit!
Acknowledge your divine right to master your emotions, your circumstances.
Acknowledge your divine right, also, to forgive others by first forgiving yourself.
Be aware of this fact; the sooner you forgive yourself, the stronger your
capacity becomes to forgive others!
Power is multiplied when you decide to forgive yourself. It enables you to
become whole again, well again, free again; forgiveness heals all manner of pain!
No matter how badly you may have been treated, dismissed any and all
thoughts of revenge. Secure yourself by observing that everything that goes
around will, at some point in time, come right back around! There can be no
escape. What goes out, inevitably , must come back. That is the law. Anyone
who does harm and hurt to you must suffer a similar or worse consequence.
So move on with your life. Vengeance does not belong to you or to me! Allow
the passion of Henry David Thoreau to live in your spirit: “Live in each season as it
passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit”.
John Raye is the author of “Make Yourself Great, Inspiration For Dark Days
And Long Nights”. He can be reached at (336) 996-4704 or
rayeandrosie@aol.com