Put yourself first

My trip to the neighborhood convenience store changed the lesson I’d planned to deliver that morning at Unity Center of Austin. Changed it in an instant. Dramatically.

Walking into the store (aka gas station), I noticed the opposite door: heavy duty, opaque plastic, hastily duct-taped in place replaced the usual glass. The store manager answered my question by pointing to the vacant space beside the door. The space where the ATM once sat. Three young men arrived at the gas station at 3 a.m.. While the night manager stored soft drinks in the back room, they smashed the door, cut the cables, loaded the ATM into their truck and drove away.

I’d read in A Course in Miracles: Love the child of God who is loved by God and you will learn of God’s love for you. The truth of that beautiful statement is that God loves EVERY child of God.

Jack Kornfield‘s new book, A Lamp in the Darkness, says: Love, compassion, forgiveness all grow when we learn how to practice them.

Love, compassion and forgiveness are tightly integrated. Love is the Spirit from which we are each/all substanced. The love we are allows us to express compassion. The most critical compassion we express is forgiveness.

You can remove the “learn how to” phrase from Kornfield’s statement. Love and compassion and forgiveness grow when and whenever we practice them. Their growth and our growth as loving, compassionate, forgiving beings do not wait for us to master them. Just practice love…compassion…forgiveness. Watch them grow!

My favorite Rascal Flatts song, “I’m Movin’ On”, has this line: Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down the road.

Forgiveness is not something we wait for or even hope for. Forgiveness is not waiting for us to get around to it. Forgiveness starts with us. Forgiveness is not condoning the past. And it is not thinking someone did something wrong and then accepting their error.

Forgiveness is letting go and starting anew. It allows renewal and kindness. To forgive is to give for. To give for the other our knowledge of their perfection. And it is doing that for ourselves first.To give for (and to!) ourselves the awareness and truth that we are Spirit, that we are an expression of God’s love and grace. That is Truth. That is reality.

As I left the gas station Sunday morning, the power of the ho’oponopono prayer struck me hard.

I am sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.

Ho’oponopono is letting go of toxic energies within you to allow the impact of Divine thoughts, words, deeds and actions.

Forgiveness is letting go of the idea that someone has erred. Forgiveness expresses the Truth as Divine thoughts, words, deeds and actions.  Forgiveness is giving. That makes me love this statement from A Course in Miracles: When everything is yours and everything is given away, it will remain with you forever.

Giving love, compassion, and forgiveness only brings back more. Manifold!

Love and blessings!

Posted on May 30, 2012 at 6:27 am by Tim · Permalink
In: Forgiveness, Oneness, Prayer, Spirituality · Tagged with: , , ,