Mind Matters

  Why? Why Me? When will the other person realize his/her mistake? Why should I be the one forgiving?  Forgiveness is the release of resentment or  anger.  Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Just as important as defining what forgiveness  is , though, is understanding what forgiveness is  not . Experts who study or teach forgiveness make clear that when you forgive, you do not gloss over or deny the seriousness of an offense against you. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offenses. Though forgiveness can help repair a damaged relationship, it doesn’t obligate you to reconcile with the person who harmed you or release them from legal accountability.   Instead, forgiveness brings the forgiver p...

Dear Friend,  Forgiveness   Forgiveness of ourselves and of others releases us from the past. The Course in Miracles says over and over that forgiveness is the answer to almost everything. I know that when we are stuck, it usually means there is some more forgiving to be done. When we do not flow freely with life in the present moment, it usually means we are holding on to a past moment. It can be regret, sadness, hurt, fear, or guilt, blame, anger, resentment, and sometimes even the desire for revenge.  Each one of these states comes from a space of unforgiveness, a refusal to let go and come into the present moment.   Love is always the answer to healing of any sort.  And the pathway to love is forgiveness. Forgiveness dissolves resentment. There are several ways in which I approach this.  Exercise: Dissolving Resentment   There is an old Emmet Fox exercise for dissolving resentment that always works. He recommends that you sit quietly, cl...