The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity

July: Forgiveness

This month, we start on another law of prosperity, forgiveness. Truly, this spiritual practice challenges us to move beyond the bounds of our ego. How is forgiveness connected to prosperity? As we defined it, prosperity is the condition of having what we need when we need it. It encompasses strength, health, material goods, healthy relationships, anything we need for fullness of life to realize the kingdom of God. When we are holding onto a perceived unfairness or hurtful deed, we damage our ability to enjoy this fullness of life. Forgiveness helps us to become a clean vessel to hold all the good God has for us. It restores us to a right relationship with the Christ within as well as with others in our lives.

We can forgive. Lewis Smedes, in his little gem of a book, Forgive and Forget, says that forgiveness for deep wounds has four stages: 
1.    we feel the hurt when someone has done something we cannot forget and are pushed into the “crisis of forgiveness;” 
2.    we feel hate that keeps us from wishing our “enemy” well and often want that person to suffer as we did; 
3.    healing—we see the person with new eyes, our memory is healed, and the pain has stopped—we are free again; 
4.    coming together—we invite that person back into our life, if he/she comes back honestly and both of us harmonize our hearts and words with reality. The fourth step is not always necessary, and depends on both persons. 

Sometimes our prayer is simply to have the willingness to forgive. On the other hand, we may not feel ready to forgive in this moment, but we can ask the Christ within to do so. Wherever you are in the process, it is important to your own health and prosperity. Edwene Gaines reminds us that lack of forgiveness is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. Getting past stage 2 can be a major challenge, but we must persist. Forgiveness is not necessarily a one-time event—we may need to do it repeatedly before we are truly cleansed of the hurt. 

What the Bible says:

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25

“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the one who was paralyzed “I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.” Luke 5:24

“Then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers.” 1Kings 8:34

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” Matt 18: 21-22 

What Unity says:

“But we must recognize the unity of the race in Christ and include all people in our forgiving.” Charles Fillmore, Jesus Christ Heals

“If we forgive others we shall be forgiven, and the penalty of suffering for sins will be eliminated.” Charles Fillmore,  Jesus Christ Heals  

“Sin: missing the mark; that is, falling short of divine perfection.” Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word

Ideas for practice:

•    Review your goals and any progress you have made toward them. Can you feel a connection with your purpose? What, if anything, have you learned about yourself in the last 6 months? What have you learned about God, or Christ within? Make a record in your journal. 
•    As you go about the work of accomplishing your purpose and goals, have you run into any roadblocks? Try to identify these, and name them in your journal. Ask yourself if any of these types of issues come into play: belief systems from the past, relationships that need healing, or the physical space in which you work or live. Is it time to let go? Write any of these in your journal, and hold them before God in prayer. Create your own affirmation to use whenever the roadblock comes up again. 
•    Take your “forgiveness project” into prayer. As you work through the stages of forgiveness, pray for this person and the relationship, leaving the final results to God. One way to gain insight into your situation is to draw a picture. With colored markers or crayons, draw a picture of the person and yourself—stick figures, random or geometric shapes—anything goes, as long as it represents the situation in some way to you. Now look at it, and answer these questions in your journal: Where are you? Where is the other person? What is the unforgiveness like? Where is God? What else do you notice about the picture? 
•    Discuss your practice with your prayer triad. What do you notice is happening with your companions or with yourself? Are you able to begin to wish well to the persons you are trying to forgive? Commit to hold each other in the forgiving light of love in your daily prayer between meetings.