As he lay in bed with a high fever, he began to declare over and over: I fully and freely forgive you. I loose you and let you go. So far as I am concerned, that incident between us is finished forever. I do not wish to hurt you. I wish you no harm. I am free and you are free and all is again well between us. In a little while a feeling of peace, quietness, and release came over him. For the first time in many nights he slept peacefully. The next morning his fever was gone, and his physician declared that the poison had miraculously left his system overnight. At long last he was on the road to recovery. Through forgiveness, this man had formed the vacuum needed so that new life could restore his body to health and his mind to peace.
Forgiveness is the Answer
Most folks are afraid of the word “forgive,” thinking that it means they must do something unpleasant and dramatic; but the word simply means to “give for”–to let go of old ideas, feelings or conditions and to give something better in their place. The “giving-for” process forms a vacuum and makes way for new good to rush in.
I have discovered from talking with hundreds of people about their problems and from corresponding with hundreds more that inevitably, when a stubborn problem does not yield, it is because there is a need for forgiveness. I have further discovered that if only one person connected with the problem will start the action of forgiveness, all concerned will respond, be blessed and the solution will come.
For instance, a very wealthy woman became involved in a legal tangle over some of her deceased husband’s business property. It was all very embarrassing to her because the defendant in the court case whom she was suing was a former family friend. In great distress she attended a prayer group one night and poured out her plight to those present. To her dismay, however, the prayer group members did not become upset about her problem at all; nor did anyone seem particularly sympathetic. In fact, they completely surprised her by saying that her problem would be solved if she would forgive the man whom she was suing. Aghast, she replied, “Forgive him? I only wanted you to pray that I would win against him in this court case. He has done such terrible things!” But the prayer group stood firm. She left in disgust but returned the next week and was again assured that forgiveness could solve everything. For many days after that she began to consider seriously the power of forgiveness. One day as she was driving along in her car thinking of this former family friend with whom she was now at law, she cried out, “Lord, I humanly cannot forgive that man. But if You can, please forgive him through me.” Suddenly a feeling of great peace came, and she then gave thanks for it and dismissed the matter from her mind.
A few days later this man came into town and went to see her lawyer. He asked her lawyer if he might pay her a personal visit. Hesitantly, the lawyer replied, “I suppose so, but it will do you no good. If you want to settle this case, you will have to deal with me as her attorney.” The defendant replied, “Oh, I do not wish to visit this lady to talk about the court case. I wish to visit her simply because we were once friends, and I always greatly admired her husband. I would just like to see her as in former times and talk of old times.” And so in a friendly way he paid his call, during the course of which, the subject of the court case finally arose. They amicably agreed to settle the matter quietly out of court to the mutual satisfaction of all concerned. Thus, the power of letting go of fixed ideas, attitudes and opinions, which make way for more pleasant experiences.
A Forgiveness Technique
Here is a forgiveness technique that can form a vacuum for whatever good your life seems to need just now: Sit for half an hour every day and mentally forgive everyone that you are out of harmony with, feel badly toward or are concerned about. If you have accused anyone of injustice, if you have discussed anyone unkindly, if you have criticized or gossiped about anyone, if you are legally involved with anyone, mentally ask their forgiveness. Subconsciously, they will respond. In like manner, if you have accused yourself of failure or mistakes, forgive yourself. Forgiveness can form the vacuum that will undam your prosperity and success. Mentally declare to others: God’s forgiving love has set us free. Divine Love now produces perfect results and all is again well between us. I behold you with the eyes of love and I glory in your success, prosperity and complete good. It is good to declare for yourself: I am forgiven and governed by God’s Love alone and all is well. I once talked with a lady who was having great difficulty in her marriage. Her husband was on the brink of losing a very fine job because of his drinking and instability. When I suggested that she let go those ideas about her husband and form a vacuum for greater good to come to them by forgiveness, she self-righteously declared, “There is no reason for me to try forgiveness. There is nothing to forgive. I love my husband!”
But I suggested that some kind of vacuum obviously needed to be formed; that there was much about their situation that she would like to be free of; and that perhaps it was not her husband she needed to forgive, but that all of us need to practice forgiveness every day because of many negative, subconscious attitudes stored in our emotions of which we are are not even consciously aware.
Rather reluctantly, she finally agreed to sit for half an hour every day and practice forgiveness. Later, she declared in amazement that the names of people she had long forgotten came to her during those times, and that unpleasant or unhappy experiences of the past floated up in her memory. To all of these she declared words and thoughts of freedom, release and forgiveness, as well as for and concerning her husband’s recent behavior. As she began to feel relieved and freed of a lot of old, half-buried, hostile emotions and attitudes, her husband’s drinking ceased. He began to work very hard in his job again. And success came in such a big way that she was even able to stop working and provide a beautiful home for her husband, which had long been their desire. Thus, the power of forgiveness.
Releasing is Magnetic
Are you clinging to the thought of how some troublesome situation in your life can be made right, what shape and form the solution should take? Then release, loose, let go. Declare to the situation or personalities involved: I release, loose, let go and let God. Do not be fearful of letting go. Nothing can ever be lost through spiritual release. Instead, your own good and the good of all concerned is much freer to move into your life. Through release, your power of attracting good is greatly increased. One word of caution here about attitudes toward the tangible things you release. I once felt led to go through my closet and give away most of the clothes therein to my sister. These clothes were perfectly good but I had tired of them, and no new clothes had recently appeared, so I felt by passing them on, I was making way for the new clothes.
After mailing these clothes to her, I felt happy and expectant about the new clothes I was so sure would manifest. But for a number of weeks nothing happened. Finally I realized that I was still mentally hanging on to the clothes I had sent her, thinking, “If I had that dress or suit I sent Sis, I would wear it today.” It was then necessary for me to re-release what I thought I had already released. In my mind I went over every item I had sent her and declared to each individual piece of clothing mentally: I fully and freely release you. I completely loose you and let you go. So far as I am concerned you have served your purpose in my wardrobe and I no longer need you. You are now in your perfect place. Thereafter, new and more beautiful clothes appeared very fast in my closet!
It was as though a “magnetic influence” had gone to work for me. A friend who knew nothing of my empty closet, quietly came to me and said, “I have some money I wish to share with you. When I prayed about what to do with this particular amount, the only thought that kept coming to me was that I should give it to you, perhaps for some clothes. You appear well-supplied with clothes, but the thought persisted and so here it is with my blessing.” That started the flow of substance which then came to me from here, there and everywhere. Some articles I had written had not been accepted and so in a doubtful but hopeful mind I had revised them, weeks earlier, and re-submitted them. Now they were accepted and I was paid. Several people saw items while shopping