Focus Tip: The Power of Forgiveness

from Christine Harvey

Have you ever wondered about how to achieve the power of forgiveness?

Gerald Jampolsky tells about a woman whose son was accidentally killed by a drunken young man, in his book 'One Person Can Make a Difference.' For years the woman did everything she could to keep this man from being released from prison. Then she discovered that she was destroying herself through this hate and bitterness. Her hair was falling out, her gall bladder had problems, and she was plagued by skin rash. "The hate inside of me was attacking my own body," she said.

"Somehow I began to know inside of me that if I was to survive, forgiveness was not an option but a necessity," she continued. "I couldn't live the rest of my life with pain and anger. I chose not to do it anymore." Instead she chose to talk with him about how it occurred, and what conditions he faced at the time of the accident. "Then I could see him as a person who made a serious mistake, but was also a caring, sensitive and vulnerable person."

As Jampolsky witnessed this remarkable forgiveness, this thought occurred to him. "If this woman could forgive someone who murdered her son, then the rest of us ought to be able to heal whatever unhealed relationships we are holding onto."

Instantly as Jampolsky had that thought, a picture jumped into his mind of a person he knew who he still resented. "Suddenly, without my doing anything, I felt a sense of total compassion and love towards this person, that was beyond anything I could have imagined," he said.

3 SECOND FOCUS TIP: Let your mind jump now to a person you still feel resentment toward. Reflect as Jampolsky did. If this woman could forgive, why not GIVE YOURSELF THE OPPORTUNITY to let forgiveness fill your heart too? Remember, you are doing it for yourself - and the world will be a better place for this action.

Jampolsky says that our egos want us to believe two things that are unsound. One is to hold onto our resentments forever. The other untruth is that if we forgive, we will be hurt again. Don't let this happen to you. The world needs you in your full glory and unreserved love for humanity and yourself! Try to let go today, and see what happens FOR YOU.