FORGIVENESS CANNOT BE IMAGINED

I once heard that we must make a decision to be a forgiving person. That has stayed within me, but I have never activated it so to speak. 

For some time now, however, I have had flashes that forgiveness is my answer...no matter the question, the problem, the stuck place, whether it be you, me or them...forgive.

I think of forgiveness as the word of my heart for it is all about giving to as opposed to gathering from. The many other soul-comforting words, such as love, peace, joy, kindness, goodness, compassion, etc., we can hold within and/or pass along as the Spirit moves us. 

Forgiveness, though...forgiveness is not forgiveness if we just hold it within. Who's kidding whom? Holding forgiveness within cannot be done except on the never-ending magical, mystery tour of our egoic mind.  

Forgiveness must be extended, is for giving...and to whomever we are resisting. There. That explains why it is so difficult. Think about it...nothing goes against the ego like the simple idea of letting a personal offender off the hook, neither judging her nor punishing him.

Personally, I can't even conjure up forgiveness feeling good to me after the fact...a pre-warm and fuzzy like love, peace and joy offer. Trying to imagine forgiving a real-to-me offender mostly invites justifying not forgiving.

Clearly...albeit ever so slowly...all of this spells out the fact that forgiveness cannot be done by self alone. Can't even be imagined. Can only be done through the spiritual activity of God in our heart, our soul, our body and our brain. (Probably could have left it at "through God.")

Thank you.