Daily Reflection
A moment of peace and contemplation for your day.
The Wisdom
Forgiveness is to relinquish your grievance and so to let go of grief. It happens naturally once you realize that your grievance serves no purpose except to strengthen a false sense of self. Forgiveness is to offer no resistance to life -- to allow life to live through you. We must forgive those we feel have wronged us, not because they deserve to be forgiven, but because we love ourselves so much we don't want to keep paying for the injustice.
The Reflection
Nonforgiveness necessarily implies a heavy burden of psychological time. We often hold onto grievances as if they are shields, protecting us from future pain. But the grievance itself is the pain. Every moment you hold onto resentment, you are choosing to stay in the past rather than live in the present. Forgiveness is simply the decision to stop carrying heavy luggage that does not belong to the Now.
The Practice
Today, visualize a grievance you hold as a hot coal in your hand. Notice that holding it burns *you*, not the person who offended you. Open your hand and visualize the coal falling to the ground. Say: "I drop this because I value my own peace more than my need to be right."
The Mantra
"I forgive to set myself free."