The act of forgiveness is often misunderstood. Many think of it as pardoning someone for a sin that they may have committed, forgetting about it and moving on. But true forgiveness is actually about releasing our past and staying present at the moment. It means letting go of previous events and simply taking care of what truly is.
We are all given the opportunity to begin anew at any moment, but when we forgive someone while still holding onto the memory of the transgression, we are still judging them for what they did and attached to the grievance. This is analogous to the Alcoholics Anonymous quote, “Holding onto resentment is like me drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
True forgiveness frees us and allows us to become our best/authentic self. We have the power to choose: we can either hold onto blame and live in the past, or acknowledge our pain, bless the other person, and pray for their happiness.
A Course in Miracles states, “Prayer is a way of asking for something. It is the medium of miracles. But the only meaningful prayer is for forgiveness because those who have been forgiven have everything.” (T45)
When we carry something from our past into our future, we are attaching our thoughts and beliefs to it and freezing our mind in the past. Therefore, we are not allowing our heart to remain open to the ever-present awareness of our perfect Oneness with the Universe and embracing what truly is.
True Forgiveness is simply another way to describe being present in non-distracted awareness, Samadhi, Heaven and the experience of no separation. By practicing meditation, prayer, the workbook lessons in A Course in Miracles or whatever spiritual practice resonates with you, they are a means to having the experience of forgiveness flow through us. We do not have to “try” to forgive, but we can choose to go to our practice. We always have a choice.