Welcome to the Additional Material page for The Energy Of Forgiveness, Chapter 3.
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What was your definition of forgiveness – before reading this chapter of course!
Try looking at your surroundings upside-down for awhile. If you are sitting, you can lean over backwards in your chair and look behind, or if you’re physically able, stand on your head. How does that change your perspective? Try walking backwards by looking in a mirror – choose a safe place to do this where you won’t be injured if you fall or trip over something. How does that feel? What would it be like to use the inversion goggles and see everything upside-down for several days? Would that make life easier or more difficult? What would the impact on life be if you had certain concepts that you understood to be backwards to what they really are?
What are some sayings you’ve heard about forgiveness? How do they compare with my definition of forgiveness?
What’s the most difficult part of forgiving for you? List two or three things you’ve forgiven. For each instance, how did you feel before you forgave? How did you feel afterwards? Did you really forgive, or did you just say the words?
What’s the most difficult part of apologizing for you? How did you feel beforehand? How did you feel afterwards?
Have you had an even for which you needed to apologize, but couldn’t? For example, the person you needed to apologize to had passed on or was now unapproachable. How did you accomplish the apology?
Have you ever held a grudge against someone that truly cared about you? What effect did that have on the relationship? Did you get them to do what you wanted? What was the cost of getting them to do what you wanted?
List two or three things you need to forgive of yourself. Is it easy or hard or what? What makes it easy or hard or whatever?
What was your impression of the Judas story? If you follow a Christian tradition, how did it compare with the story the way you learned it? What was your understanding of Jesus’ remarks “Do it now!” and “it would be better if he had not been born.” Do you see any other symbolism in the story?