Prayer And Forgiveness Practice

Close your eyes now as we prepare for a time of prayer and meditation.

Let your body relax.

Let go of the day.

Let go of the things that happened or the things that are yet to be done.

And let this time be a time of communing with God.

To your body say relax.

To the thoughts that cross your mind say peace,

Be still.

During this time of prayer and meditation,

I invite you to imagine that my words are your words.

As if I'm a part of you speaking from the very depths of your being.

As my body is relaxing and my mind becoming more quiet,

I take that journey within to that very center of my being,

To that place inside of me where it is easiest for me to be aware of God.

I go to that center place of my being now with the intention of practicing forgiveness.

I go there now remembering how important it is that I forgive and that I accept being forgiven.

I know how important my relationships are.

I know how important harmony is.

And I realize that there are times that there is disharmony in my relationships.

Sometimes the disharmony may be minor and at other times it may be very severe.

And so I choose now in this time of prayer and meditation to do some forgiveness work.

Here in the safety of my relationship with God,

I remember that I am God's child.

And I ask God to fill my mind and heart with love.

Love for God,

Love for myself,

Love for all others.

I ask God to help me remember that everyone including myself is deserving of love.

I ask God to help me remember that even though sometimes people may act in unloving ways and exhibit unskilled behavior,

That I know that all deserve to be loved.

I know that forgiving is a way that I keep myself spiritually clear and clean.

I know that through forgiving that I become more open and receptive to the activity of God in my life.

And so now I ask God to help me know who or what I need to practice forgiving today.

Father,

Mother,

God,

Help me to see right now who or what I need to forgive.

And Father,

Mother,

God,

Help me if someone comes to my mind for whom it is really hard for me to forgive.

One whom I would like to push away out of my mind because of the hurt or the pain that they inflicted.

Help me.

Help me to see that you will work through me that I may be able to step into a greater experience of forgiveness.

Help me to know that you would never present to my mind and heart someone for whom I am not ready to forgive.

Help me to know that you really are in charge of my life.

As I now receive the image of the person or the situation that I am to forgive,

I open myself to the activity of forgiving.

I am open to the activity of forgiving.

I know that God is love and that I dwell in God and God dwells in me.

And so I dwell in love and love dwells in me.

As I think about that person or that situation,

I practice now neutralizing any feelings of anger or resentment.

I don't condone the wrong that was done,

But I do remember that everyone at the very core of their being is a child of God,

Just as I am.

And so as I neutralize any feelings of anger or resentment,

I begin to feel a sense of releasing,

Of letting go and stepping into the love and into the light.

I know that forgiveness is a process and I may have to continue to work until my forgiveness is complete.

And yet I also know that every step I take in the direction of forgiving is a positive step and will make a positive difference in my life.

And so I silently say to that person or that situation,

I forgive you.

I realize you didn't know any better.

I realize you didn't know how to handle that situation or yourself in any better way than you did.

And so I forgive you.

And for whatever part I may have played in that particular situation,

I ask to be forgiven.

I forgive and I am forgiven.

And each step I take in the process of forgiving is a healing step,

A freeing step.

And I can literally feel myself coming to life.

I can feel my energy returning.

I can feel myself moving into the light.

And I can feel myself changing at depth.

New doors of good are opening to me.

New opportunities present themselves to me.

I release the past and I let it go.

I release the past and I let it go.

I release the past and I let it go.

I let my inner light shine.

And I allow the divine in me to express itself through me.

I behold the divine in all others.

I behold the divine in all others.

Not only in those that I find easy to love,

But in all others.

For I know that my greatest growth comes not from loving those who are easy to love,

But in learning to love and forgive those that are hard to love and are hard to forgive.

And so I practice beholding the divine in all others.

I am able to see beyond their actions,

Beyond their faults,

Their inadequacies,

Their mistakes,

To the person that God intends them to be.

Just as I know that God sees me as his child and beholds the divine in me regardless of my mistakes,

Regardless of my shortcomings or inadequacies.

And so now I let go and I step into a greater experience of love's presence.

Through this forgiveness work,

Through this healing work,

I become more loving.

I am a radiating center of divine love.

I am a radiating center of divine love.

And as that love moves through me in greater and greater expressions,

I become a mighty magnet to good in my life.

I attract loving and harmonious relationships and all is well.

And all is well.

And now I bring my attention back to this time and this place,

Becoming more aware of my surroundings.

I take a deep breath in and I let that breath go.

And I feel so much better.

I feel energized and revitalized.

I am grateful.

Thank you God.

Thank you God.

Thank you God.

And so it is.

Amen.