HEALTH, SICKNESS & SYMPTOMS: THE SUBSEQUENT SIDES OF FORGIVENESS

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"HEALTH" SHOULD BE REGARDED AS A "MEASURE" OF THE MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND/OR SPIRITUAL DISPOSITION OF A PERSON, PLACE OR THING. SICKNESS IS DEFINED AS A "STATE" OF BEING ILL. symptoms are "signs, traits or AN indication" of some underlying condition AND/or disease. OUR STATUS IN EACH OF THESE THREE AREAS ARE INDICATIVE OF OUR SPIRITUAL DISPOSITION. HEALTH IS A HOLISTIC/WHOLISTIC TERM. HOLDING GRUDGES ALONG WITH BEING SPITEFUL AND "MEAN SPIRITED" ARE symptoms and CLASSIC CHARACTERISTICS OF NOT FORGIVING. THE ILL WILL AND RESENTMENT WE DISPLAY TOWARDS OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS IN TRAFFIC, STANDING IN LINES, CONDUCTING BUSINESS AND SHOPPING are THE SIGNS OF SOCIAL SICKNESS. FORGIVENESS IS MORE THAN AN ACT, IT IS AN ATTITUDE AND A WAY OF LIFE. WE LIVE IN AN INTOLERANT AND SELFISH SOCIETY. WE TEND TO MAKE JUDGMENTS BASED UPON BIASES AND PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES, THEN APPLY THEM TO OUR PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES. "IN SPIRIT" WE FIND IT EASY TO JUSTIFY ANGER WHEN FORGIVENESS IS ABSENT FROM OUR ATTITUDE. KNOW THAT ALL DISEASES AND MANY INFIRMITIES FEED OFF OF OUR "FEELINGS" TOWARDS OTHERS, ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS. THIS INCLUDES OUR BELIEFS ABOUT GOD! FAILING TO EXERCISE FORGIVENESS IS LIKE LIVING WITH A CHRONIC TRANSMISSIBLE ILLNESS.

FORGIVENESS AND HEALING GO HAND IN HAND

Our planet is hemorrhaging from hate! Spiritually, we have always been connected, but today globalization has physically connected us to one another inextricably! Our world is attacking itself in the same manner as an autoimmune disease attacks its own body. Being hateful is like "Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face" and not forgiving is like drinking poison and expecting the person we are harboring hate towards to die! Some people may say I don't hold on to it I just don't forget it. We cannot bring a sacrifice to the altar while at odds with our brother. When we do right and if we "do well" our gift is acceptable. If not then the iniquity of our sin lies directly in front of any door we attempt to open. Most of us are familiar with the "Lord's Prayer." It's known that we get forgiveness from God according to the way we give forgiveness to one another. This post looks deeper into forgiveness and reveals how all encompassing it is in EVERY aspect of life. It examines forgiveness not only as something we must practice but something EVERYONE continuously encounters whether they are aware of it or not.....
We live in an imperfect world. It is impossible to exist or experience life without exercising forgiveness. Mistakes are not only inevitable, they are a vital part of learning through trial and error. All sins produce some kind of sickness. Many times Jesus would tell those who he healed that their sins had been forgiven. The connection between forgiveness and healing is phenomenal. This connection is often overlooked. We must incorporate this factor, so much so, that our diagnosis of both mental and physical illnesses always takes this into consideration. Any "wholistic" approach to healing will reveal and deal with forgiveness. We cannot be at odds with anyone, both in the present or with what we hold from the past! Forgiving is not about forgetting. Forgiving is more about resolution without revenge. The act of forgetting, may "at least" temporarily, plant "seeds of forgiveness." Forgetting does not require a loss of memory. Forgetting is more about where we place the memory at and forgiveness is more about where we  recall the memory from. Managing memories plays a critical role in the ability of our "minds" to function without being overloaded with data from our senses. Our minds (not brains) collect and store every possible event we are capable of keeping up with (remembering). So it's easy to see that we must continually "let go" and allow forgiveness to refresh our minds from all its been bombarded with. We have a choice! It's either this or holding on to every little mistake and offense that we experience and returning to the scene of the crime either physically or mentally to settle the score! Too many of us are trying to do God's job. Judgement in terms of deciphering, deliberating and determining what has happened is our responsibility. Judgement in terms of  rendering a verdict or sentence is reserved exclusively for God.

PRACTICING FORGIVENESS MAKES US BETTER AT FORGIVING

Hate speech and hate crimes are not actually about hate in as much as they are about forgiveness. Continual learning is not possible through trial and error without forgiving ourselves. Trying again and desiring to succeed is an innate quality built into our nature. Nothing beats a failure but a try. There's nothing like falling down and getting back up again! How would babies go from crawling to walking if they just gave up. We love to conquer and triumph over adversity even to the point of competition with others. Most of us find it easy to forgive ourselves when we make a mistake. Still there are some of us that make self forgiveness hard. We disguise our failures and imperfections through deception, deflection and denials. The realization that we all need grace regardless of how disciplined a life we lead is crucial. This puts us all on a level SPIRITUAL PLAYING FIELD! No matter how affluent, intelligent or popular we consider ourselves to be in life, riches are no indication of spiritual status! Blessed are the poor in spirit. The more refined we consider ourselves to be, the more high-minded we tend to act. Too many of us see ourselves as better (more perfect) than our fellow human beings. Blessed does not mean better! This type of perfectionism sentences us to a life of self superiority. On the opposite side of the coin, failing to embrace the forgiveness imputed by God towards man leaves us in a state where we will continually frustrate ourselves with our own faults. This type of self deprecation dooms us to living with regrets rather than through grace. Other kinds of perfectionist only concentrate on the shortcomings of others and deny or hide their own faults from both themselves and others. Love is ratified by forgiveness. When it comes to transgressions, there can be no love without forgiveness and no forgiveness without love. "Love," is the strongest source of energy in the universe. Love has so many attributes and applications that it is impossible to define in words. One of the easiest way to describe love is in contrasts. We may not always recognize many of the positive aspects of love, in terms of "what love is." But we can always recognize any negative manifestation, actions or behaviors in terms of what love "is not!" There are so many beautiful and wonderful characteristics ascribed and attributed to love.  Out of all of these crowning attributes love manifests; the greatest of these is forgiveness.​

"BRUSH UP" ON SPIRITUAL REALITY, READ A BIBLE; STOP "TRUTH DECAY"

The universe operates by and through maintaining balances. Whether we see it as the "circle of life," reaping and sowing, cause and effect or coincidence; equilibrium and homeostasis are always in effect. It is important to understand that transgressions upset balances and forgiveness restores them. Life is all about balances. From conception on, everyone and everything harmonizes and balances with the environment. We balance sin and iniquity through repentance and forgiveness. Balances can be described in terms of evenly distributed abilities, assets, gifts, talents and weights. We often arrange, adjust, or proportion everything from food to furniture symmetrically. A loss of balance indicates instability. Whether it's trade, treaties or traditions; everything in the universe ideally must be in balance with everything else. Diseases, instability, poverty and wars come as a result of the imbalances we systemically or unwittingly perpetrate. Universal balances work hand in hand with our circadian cycles or rhythms. A circadian cycle or rhythm, is a natural, internal process that regulates our sleep–wake cycle. It repeats itself generally every 24 hours. It can also refer to any process that originates within an organism in response to their environment. Many of the crimes/sins we commit are not just against one another. We often commit sins against God (the universe), nature (the environment) and even ourselves (the body). Forgiveness is all encompassing if we seek it. Not regretting along with not repenting forfeits the grace (unmerited favor) forgiveness brings. When our "mind" seeks forgiveness from our body due to neglect or abuse, we are actually seeking pardon from ourselves for what we've done to ourselves. Alcoholics and drug addicts must be keenly aware of this to break the spiritual bonds they are held under. Lazy minded individuals can gain clemency though applying their energy to mental and physical effort. Sins against the body can include fornication, adultery, excessive drinking drugs, smoking and laziness. Retribution attempts to restore balance in the form of a punishment. Forgiveness restores balance through the sacrifice of love. Forgiveness begets grace. Practicing forgiveness whenever the signs or symptoms of retaliation rears its head allows the "power of love" to work. Reaping what we sow is not diminished by forgiveness but it is a spiritual substitute that mitigates the condemnation we all rightly deserve. Remission trumps retaliation. It's easy to see that the protests at our nations capitol highlighting "black lives matter" were not treated like the protests of the "presidential elections." On June 1, 2020, a crowd gathered outside the White House to protest the police killing of George Floyd. This diverse group protesting police brutality and racial inequity were met with chemical agents and rubber bullets. ​On Jan. 6, a crowd of similar size gathered to protest the presidential elections. Some of the protesters breached the Capitol and roamed freely through the halls. As a result, at least one protester and one officer died. The spiritual ramifications from each of these protests are plain to see. As long as we continue to adopt and allow retaliatory, non-forgiving behaviors that attract resentful and/or unapologetic spirits we will remain divided. The "spirit of our politics" are mirrored in our protests. Standing against "the spirit of division" is what is important! Forgiveness promotes the "spirit of unity." Unity is a cohesive coalition of collaborative will. Joining our energies and efforts creates unity! Justice can work through forgiveness,  just as mercy can  rejoice against judgement. UNITED WE STAND. DIVIDED, THE WORLD TEARS ITSELF APART. We must BE the change we want to SEE!