There is one gift greater than forgiveness and that is the gift the forgiver receives.
There exists a wall that can defeat us if we allow it to. By dwelling on what is behind us and consuming ourselves with the emotions we have associated with, we will find our path but are unable to follow it. Scaling the wall will be a futile and an ominous journey. For as we concentrate on what is bellow we lose sight of that which is above and may never relish in the glory of what is over.
Looking back holds us back, but looking ahead will pull us forward.
The most amazing things that have ever come to me have been a result of forgiveness. As I have come to the point of “I don’t like these feelings anymore” and decided to do the opposite of what those feelings were telling me to do an inconceivable future began to unfold. Instead of staying away from family or friends I made a conscious decision to visit them with a smile. I would often show up with open arms and a smile from ear to ear with no mention of whatever it was that caused the lapse of time in which our lives were not shared.
In fact it was an instance of immediate forgiveness that brought me to all of you as I come to you all today and every day. You are all incredible, priceless and wonderful gifts. Many of what I cherish now came from how I chose to react to a betrayal that occurred several years ago. This was not the first time that this person had been dishonest with me and I am afraid to say that it also would not be the last. However, it is with the greatness of empathy that I stay the course and deliberately choose to be happy.
This Universe is an incredible place and we have so much to learn and even more to forget. I am never less surprised by the workings of this supreme matrix in which we exist. Looking back to last January I can easily recollect a single statement that set in motion a reunion that I and many of those closest to me would never imagine could have taken place.
It was on a not so seasonably cold day in January of 2009 when a mutual acquaintance of mine stopped his truck while ascending up the icy hill which bordered a property I own on route 44. I had just finished shoveling some snow from the rear of the building and making sure that the drains were all clear when he rolled down his window in a gesture to initiate a conversation that would quickly lead to the manifestation of a totally unintentional manifestation. “How have you been Ron?” he asked. “Excellent!” I replied.” I let him know that my former partner was coming back to the state. He then asked, “Is he coming back here?” I immediately replied, “Yes he is.” In this statement I was affirming that the one who had betrayed me several years earlier would return to the business. The odd thing was it hardly felt like a lie when I said it. Even stranger was that I had not spoken to him since he cast down my olive branch almost three years earlier.
The day that my forgiveness of his betrayal was disregarded rings clearly in my ears and vividly in my mind today as it did so many years earlier. You see, I had decided that I did not want to take the same twisting, turning, bumpy, and exhausting road of days gone by. I remembered the feelings of angst and heart ache. In my heart I could recall those feelings of hate and the thirst for revenge, but this time I decided I did not wish to partake in that experience ever again. I called him up immediately and said, “I don’t know why you did what you did, but whatever you reasons were I do not want to let this affect our family and friends again. For the sake of our family let’s just let it go.” His response was very negative as he spoke these simple words, “You do yours and I will do mine” as the phone line went dead and I came alive. Forgiveness is an incredibly powerful thing. On this day, at that moment and for all the moments to follow I would learn exactly how powerful it could be. Although my forgiveness was not accepted I immediately felt an incredible weight being lifted from my shoulders. It was a burden I was well familiar with from past experiences with the same person as well as with a few others. It was then that Spirit lifted me off my feet and would continue to bless me exponentially from then on.
There is either something we need to do before we move on or there is something we need to let go of before we move forward.
It was at that point when my life in Christ would be accelerated and my journey would become ordained. Signs, messages and miracles would now become a regular part of my life and my world would leap into incredible dimensions. I had been promoted to the next level in my ascension.
Funny, that one affirmation that day on the hill of Anglewood Avenue quickly manifested. Soon I found myself sitting in the customer lounge area talking to my once wayward brother in law about how incredible it was that we were sharing with each other that day. In only a few short weeks our family was restored, I turned my business over to him and I had a tenant in my almost vacant building for another year. All this occurred during prayer week at New Life Worship Center and ended with him telling me in the customer lounge area that day that “Through this he was able to find Jesus.” I will never forget the two of us standing together in the New Life sanctuary the Sunday after proclaiming our love of the Lord. Beautiful!
There is a reason for all of our situations and circumstances. Everything we experience is to build us up and bring us over the next wall or on to the next level in our infinite ascension. We must never blame ourselves for trusting a certain person or for making what we now perceive as a bad choice. There really is no way of knowing if we had acted any differently if things would have turned out better or worse and at this point in time that all has little relevance anyway. Our best choice now is to take what we have learned and move on. My cousin Michael once told me decades ago, “Often we will make mistakes in the course of our lifetimes. We must never dwell in our failures. Instead it is imperative that we learn from our mistakes and move on from them.”
The means to receiving forgiveness often rests on forgiving ourselves.
If we continue to concentrate on the mistakes that we perceive we have made we have bound ourselves in the past. Concentrating on what is behind us is the best way to keep us there. The only answer is to confess to ourselves and God, ask for forgiveness and accept that forgiveness right now. Remember, it was all for a far greater reason than any of us could fathom, but one day the Truth behind the experience will be known.
As we look to the past as being filled with purpose we can move through the now successfully and into a purposeful future continually.
There is one thing I would like to mention before I close. The most powerful thing is to forgive unconditionally; this is very true. However, when we honestly and earnestly pray for the person who has hurt us with empathy in our hearts and the seeds of forgiveness in our souls the harvest is multiplied.
Today is a new day and in this moment we can choose our experience. Happiness is a choice independent of those around us. Forgiveness, gratitude, empathy, faith, hope and love are the ingredients of All that is good and righteous. These are the keys to our Being.
I love you,
Ron Ash
The Intuitive Life Coach 