Gratitude & Forgiveness

[Self-Gratitude]...is the second step we take to free your mind from the belief in outside force pitted against your own.
-ACIM W-197:1:1

Say What????

To make today's topic a little clearer, I want you to think very deeply about these other words from ACIM that I want to share with you now.

You make attempts at kindness and forgiveness.  Yet you turn them to attack again, unless you find external gratitude and lavish thanks.  Your gifts must be received with honor, lest they be withdrawn.
-ACIM W-197:1:2-4 

How true does that ring for you?  Honestly?  I know how true it rings for me.  I talk about being kind and forgiving others but there still lingers an ego expectation with that offering.  I want to be recognized and appreciated for it.  If I perform a kind act...ego still wants to be rewarded.  I want to hear a 'thank you' from those I helped or from the world. If I don't hear that thank you, I might go so far as to think the person is rude and unappreciative and decide I don't want to help them any more. Or even go farther and 'attack' by saying to someone else, "Do you know what I did for that person?  Look at how they responded.  How rude, eh?"  

What about forgiveness?  Many times we forgive from a place of ego superiority.  "I will forgive you and by so doing I am raising myself above you.  My turning the other cheek makes me more 'Christ-like' for all the world to see therefore much more superior to you, you little sinner."  Is that forgiveness?  And how many times do we say, "I forgive you but...."

Are we not looking for external gratitude and honor when we give in this way?  Are we even giving?

Lesson 197 teaches that the only gratitude we can ever earn is our own and the only act that is worthy of it occurs when we let go of our illusions.  When we look at the injustices that seem to be coming from others as things that are not real and that cannot hurt who we really are we are forgiving in the real sense, in the only sense.  We are doing so unconditionally...not holding onto if, whens or buts. Not waiting for some 'external reward' to come back to us. 

The reward we get for doing so is internal! We earn our own gratitude for freeing ourselves of these illusions that kept us stuck.

All good!