Boldly Forgive, Forgive Again And Again
Forgiveness is not about gingerly dipping your toe into the water, although that would be a good start.
Boldly forgive. Keep digging into your past, and keep forgiving. Forgive again and again. Sometimes you might think you forgave, and you did, but maybe not fully. Forgive all over again.
Speak the forgiveness. Or speak the forgiveness silently, whatever works for you. Be as specific as possible. Make repeated attempts.
Forgive, forgive, and forgive some more, until you attain liberation. Liberation is you being able to face the same person who you think wronged you, and not feeling so much as a twitch of anger. But if there is lingering resentment, forgive again.
Freedom of association is your human right. Forgiveness is not you forfeiting your right to free association. You don't have to associate with people you don't want to associate with. And that applies to everyone, not just to people who might have wronged you.
Forgiveness is not you mustering the will to give your stamp of approval to some injustice. The opposite is the case. The clarity of thought that the act of forgiveness requires prepares you to better confront the injustice, if there is lingering injustice. And you don't wait until you defeat the injustice before you forgive. You forgive as you fight. You fight non violently.
Speak the forgiveness and feel the power. The hour long Sunday service should be followed by an hour long potluck brunch, noon to one, where you ask, how was your week, and patiently listen, and then an hour of Speak The Forgiveness, 1 pm to 2 pm.
Prayers are for the soul. Congregation is for all humanity. Forgiveness is for the heart. If you desire a strong heart, forgive. Practice the art of forgiveness, until you become unbelievably good at it.
Becoming really good at it also means you are less likely to let people wrong you in the future. Becoming good at forgiveness also ends up meaning you might have less and less reasons to forgive in the future. Because you don't get wronged much anymore.
