Greetings!
I would like to talk today about forgiveness & what it means to forgive. Almost 25 years ago, I was learning the basics of “forgiveness work.” I had been learning for awhile & was becoming proficient but at this point was unaware that I was “hearing.” What I mean by this is that I suspected I could hear Spirit talking to me but I had no proof of this because the voice came through the sound of my own thoughts & I could not discern the difference. Spirit’s voice sounded just like my own thoughts so how was I to know? Well, on this day, I learned many things.
At the time, I was working with many other therapists in an wholistic center. On this particular day, an appointment with a new client was rapidly arriving that I was worried about. This client had been seen by some of the other therapists & I had heard stories from them that I did not want to experience. I had intended to do forgiveness work ahead of time about this client to hopefully prevent any negative interaction but here I was, 10 minutes before the appointment time, having done nothing. I was panicked & worried about what to do with so little time.
As I got my room ready for the appointment, thinking fast & furiously, I decided that the only thing to do would be to simply forgive this client for EVERYTHING. What I mean by this is that I had no time to look for any specific issues between us in the way I normally would.
I began saying statements of forgiveness, large, wholesale statements that bundle up all possibilities. The room preparation kept my hands & body busy on autopilot as my mind was occupied thinking about all that I might need to forgive & what to say next while I was saying the statements out loud. I was all in with my statements since I sincerely did not want to create anything even remotely similar to what I had heard from others with this client. I was working fast & passionately on many levels.
Well, the time of the appointment was almost at hand & I was focused in my thoughts on the statement that I was in the middle of saying out loud when suddenly, right over the top of my thoughts & my words, I heard this in my mind clear as a bell:
“THAT IS THE HIGHEST BEST USE OF WILL.”
I was stunned. In the moment, I knew immediately that what I heard was not my thought because I was fully occupied with the statement that I was in the middle of actively thinking of & saying out loud. It was also a VERY LOUD THOUGHT. It was not subtle or quiet or vague. There was no question regarding it. It flowed through me, my mind & right over the top of my own thoughts & speaking voice with ease. I “heard” it so clearly that I was left with no doubts even as to WHO was speaking to me.
It was God. I knew this for a fact. It was one of those moments in my life when I could say I know that I know that I know.
For myself, this experience proved to me that I was hearing Spirit, that I was capable of hearing Spirit & that not all thoughts are my own thoughts. I was also greatly relieved. I’d had a secret fear since childhood that the physical was it. I remember wishing, dreaming & praying that there was more to reality than just the physical. Of course, I probably didn’t call it the physical or reality but thought of it as just “here.” But it was such a deep secret worry & fear that it stayed with me until that moment.
The message itself was also quite clear to me. There are many misuses of Will. We can probably look at ourselves & our lives in the past & see many instances where we have been willful, self-willed, weak-willed or lacked will entirely. God was telling me that I was using my Will in that moment to forgive fully & completely & “That is the highest best use of Will.” I was being commended for my use of Will. This implied that my personal, small will was aligned to God’s Will.
Stop & think about this. God bothered to step in & speak to me in that moment not only about Will but also about forgiveness. What does this say about forgiveness? The implication is that forgiveness is very important. I’ve had many clients feel upset by forgiveness & the wording of forgiveness statements because it causes them to feel blamed & responsible when they feel hurt, wounded & victimized.
I had not even met this client & here I was forgiving. I remember telling myself there was no time to look for my possible issues from past lives or anywhere else for that matter. This was a new lifetime & the past didn’t matter anymore. I could just bundle it all up & forgive everything. So that is what I did. That’s forgiveness.
At some point in time, it doesn’t really matter anymore what happened, only that you or others are suffering. You have to ask yourself: “Am I ready to let go & forgive so that I can stop the suffering, my own & others?” Although, I would like to point out that the purpose of forgiveness is for you. I was forgiving this client because I did not want to experience any suffering due to negative interactions with this client. It was worth it to me to forgive ahead of time to ensure that our time together would be productive rather than destructive. We had an amazing appointment together & I saw this client many times afterwards. This is the power of forgiveness.
God’s Will for you is for you to forgive so that you can end the suffering. This was my takeaway from this experience. I have continued forgiveness work for 25 years, both my own & with others. I hope you will join me so that we can end the suffering for us all.
Love to you all in the Light and Love of God, Dawn