On the topic of forgiveness, there are numerous ways that it can be practiced in your life. In reference to Lesson 63 from A Course in Miracles, we can understand that, "The light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness." This passage is comprised of three main sections:
The first section being, " the light of the world."
The second section being, " bringing peace to the world."
And the third section being, " the forgiveness of the person who intends to bring peace to the world."
To become a person that actively seeks to bring peace into the world, one can connect with the Source of light. Some call this Source “God,” “higher being,” “higher power,” or “the universe.” What we choose to call this Source is not critical here, but what's important is acknowledging that there is a Divine source that we can tap into which can provide the power to bring peace to places where people are suffering in the world. The linchpin between those two things, which is the Source of light and peace in other's minds, lies within our ability to forgive.
The person that practices forgiveness is referred to as the intermediary. The intermediary will receive benefits for practicing forgiveness both internal and external. In day-to-day living, opportunities to practice forgiveness arise all the time. Before I give an illustration, I will suggest a quick snapshot at what the Course in Miracles refers to when it says the word forgiveness.
“Forgiveness,” here means to let go of the illusions of chaos and turmoil that seem to be beckoning us to get involved in them and to stir up resentment and grievance.
Consider that the world we perceive, which appears to contain all of this chaos and suffering, is actually an illusion; almost as if we are asleep. And forgiveness, therefore, is the process of waking up to this communal nightmare.
Many people, when presented with the concept of forgiveness, might imagine a conflict in which one person has wronged another, and forgiveness as a decision to not act in revenge, or to passively let the person who has done said wrongdoing "get away with" their activities. However, consider forgiveness rather as an individual, conscious choice to let go of the illusions of the pain and suffering caused by another's actions, or any situations for that matter. This requires an element in your psychology and spirituality which allows you to let the whole illusion of pain and suffering to go, waking up into a higher reality in which you are much more powerful.
Take this example of a personal situation in which I chose to practice the act of this type of forgiveness in order to achieve peace of mind for myself as well as others in the world. Just this past week, someone hit my car. We all know that situations around auto damages, repairs, and replacements can breed painful and stressful scenarios in and of themselves. The experience of retrieving my rental car came with a set of small - yet frustrating - challenges. A notable challenge being that, even after I had taken the time to specify and strongly request for a small-sized replacement vehicle, on the day of picking up my replacement, I was presented a monster-sized Chevy Tahoe. Even though I might be large in stature, and perhaps many others would actually prefer a larger vehicle, I feel much more confident driving a smaller, modest-sized car.
In response to the situation, I didn’t behave unpleasantly or mean, but I did bring it to the employee's attention that I had specified for a smaller car. I had a lot of things to do that day and this was becoming an issue for accomplishing those things. The clock was ticking and I was becoming more and more frustrated by the situation. After the employee relentlessly tried to sell me on the large car and unsuccessfully suggested a solution of dropping me off at home and giving me a different car the following day, I decided to take a bit of my own medicine and remind myself that I essentially had two choices:
I could buy into the illusion that this was not going to work out, get more and more upset, and starting nurturing and harboring those grievances.
Or I can relax into the power of Source and let go of the illusion that things were not going to work out in my favor, but if I was able to let the illusion go, bring peace to the situation by connecting to the source of light, that something amazing would happened.
I had no idea what was going to happen, but I noticed others around me were also having their individual stressful situations, from not having the right documents to discrepancies regarding reservations. So I decided to take an intentional moment to send light to those around me too, including the lovely lady who was helping me find a solution for my car replacement. I decided to use humility to acknowledge that I do not know what's going to happen, and maybe if I'm still and quiet enough, the perfect solution will present itself. This is the miracle minded thinking that I have been practicing and developing for many years, so a car replacement situation should be nothing my miracle mindset can't handle.
And then finally the woman came back and said, " I think I have something for you,” and points to a shiny BMW with the perfect size and state-of-the-art technology. Though I'm not particular toward luxury cars, I can admit that it's a nice surprise to get a quality upgrade.
Although I reference this experience in a somewhat humorous tone, and it's a relatively mild and harmless situation, I'd like you to understand that I used to be the type of person that would throw temper tantrums in situations like these. I used to get into a rage, use unkind language, and become very noticeably unhappy. I would become a frustrated customer, demanding to speak with the manager, so being able to take a minute to release that mindset has been a practice and it's amazing how my life has changed as a result. Not to emphasize myself as an especially talented person, on the contrary this is something that anyone can do or train themselves to do, with practice.
I wanted to share this story with you to highlight the two-fold benefits of a practicing forgiveness in situations of discomfort. On an external field, I was able to get the worldly outcome that I wanted. Because I was able to shift my mindset in a positive way and decline the temptation to throw a fit, I was able to reckon with the rental car company employee and ultimately get the size of car that I wanted. Had I given in to the illusion of chaos, I don't believe the outcome would have been the same. The second benefit, which I find to be even more powerful and impressive, and doesn't rely on any external factors or compliance from others, is that I get to achieve a happier internal state of being and thus open myself up to receiving the flow of better energy, emotions, and outcomes in the future as a result.
Let's play with the alternate universe in which I didn't get the BMW, and the car rental situation didn't go the way that I expected in the end. Had I chosen forgiveness, I still would have had an amazing day, BMW or not, and I would have been open to receiving more miracles from the universe the rest of that day while feeling great. Had I given into the negative illusions, it's clear that I would closed myself off from potential blessings and been a stuck victim of negative feelings.
In summary, it is always better to choose forgiveness.
And as for others in this situation, there was a tremendous opportunity to bring peace to more people in this environment. Not only are you getting peace for yourself, but you're also sending peace to those around you. Whenever you're going to a stressful location, such as the DMV, the airport, or any place where things can appear "to go" wrong, make an intention to send peace to those around you by tapping in to the light of the world, being the Divine Source energy.
After I got the BMW, the woman helping could see that she had done a good job and made me a happy customer. She asked me to leave a Google review, and I was happy to do so. I believe that my choice to tap into this positive mindset thinking started a snowball effect of people-helping-people. I got the car and she got the good review. It's a win-win.
Now let's get into an example of how this way of thinking has been a blessing in my professional life recently. I was overwhelmed with a long checklist of odd jobs to complete for my business as I start preparing for my goals this the new year. I had a webinar that I needed completed, a new funnel for my online course, and an ambitious goal to produce transformational social media content to be posted monthly for my community to benefit from. I wanted to do it all, and I knew without a doubt that I needed help in order to achieve all of these things; in short, I needed a miracle.
As fear started to kick in, and the illusion that this was going to be a difficult and stressful process with problems inevitably arising, I started to react. Reacting in a state of fear looks like a frantic hunt for something scarce. In this case, I was relentlessly scrambling through my typical freelance work websites, Fiverr and Upwork, almost halfway expecting not to find the perfect person to do the job. But then again, I decided to tap into Source and humbly admit that maybe there was a solution that it was trying to lead me to.
I needed someone at the right price, preferably someone that I knew I would be comfortable working with, and definitely someone who could get the job done well. I went back into the Source of light over the period of days and it was almost like having a conversation.
I asked, "What is the most peaceful, direct, and straight-forward way in which I can accomplish what I am wanting to accomplish bring more light into the world through what I am trying to accomplish?"
And then finally, a person pops into my mind: What about Brittany? I wouldn't sure if she would be available to do all of these tasks so I cautiously asked, starting with my webinar. She agreed! And once that went well, I followed up and asked about the monthly content project. She was elated to join me on this journey! I couldn't believe it! She has been a joy to work with and produces phenomenal work.
I understand that someone might think, "Well, Dave, that’s on you for not just thinking of Brittany sooner." But if any of you reading are like me, you are guilty of overthinking and over-analyzing things in your life, leadership roles, or business. You think of a million different possibilities and you imagine that all of them could lead somewhere, which can be overwhelming and stressful. But if you want to become the sort of person who can train yourself to be quiet in order to hear for the miracle answer, then that is exactly what this article and series is about helping you accomplish.
Don't take for granted how possible it is that you may have a problem that you're racking your brain about when you just need to have the humility to actually stop for a moment and be open to receiving an alternative answer. The answer may not even be “alternative” in the end; it may be obvious once you realize what it was. Practice being open to hearing the answer that the Source may provide you on any issue at all. This can be applied to any issue: a bill to be paid, a health issue to overcome, a relationship issue, you name it.
There is always something that is more flowing, more full of Light, brings more peace, and easier to navigate than some of the alternatives that we get frantic about chasing.
Tying back into this definition of forgiveness we started with, which is releasing attachment of grievances and resentments which includes hard and complicated, painful ways of doing things.
So if you would like to practice this type of forgiveness, I have many actionable solutions to suggest. In my coaching and in my online course, I like to map out a series of things that people can do such as affirmations, hypnosis, vision boards, meditation, subliminal messaging, and more. But the most important thing is to select a few strategies that work best for you that you can commit to practicing on a daily basis. Mindfulness techniques that you can meditate on regularly and incorporate into your constant practice of life. Whatever technique that works for you to get centered into source. I suggest that you check in with source with 5 minutes for every hour throughout the day.
Source is kind of like a GPS. You don't just set the GPS to a destination and then not refer back to it throughout your journey. You must make sure that you are on the right track and listen to its directions.
In summary, I would like to challenge you, reader, when you feel yourself entering a frustrating situation, commit to taking a moment to ask yourself, "How can I use this as an opportunity to practice forgiveness?" This critical moment should be strong enough to completely shift your mindset and connect you with the limitless source of inner light needed to reframe toward a mode of positivity, and thus approach the situation more logically and be open to receiving the perfect solution that Source is trying to send you.
