Ego & Forgiveness
Let’s stop giving the ego such a bad rap. So often, we use the acronym EGO for Edging God Out. This is a fad that sounds fun but has not been thought through very well before adopting it and repeating it to the world. Teachers are constantly referring to the ego as something that we need to fix, get rid of (which is impossible), or be aware of because they teach that it has a limiting impact upon us.
The mind and our ego are fascinating. What if we chose to love, honor, and appreciate all aspects of our being, including our ego?
But, if we, those who ascribe to this metaphysical and spiritual life, believe that Life is for us then how can the ego be against us? What if we were as grateful for our ego as we are for other aspects of our lives? Blaming the ego for our human behavior is incredibly shortsighted. The ego is used as a scapegoat for our bad decisions. But the ego is only doing what it was designed to– keep us safe, help us cope, and allow us to make it out of our youth.
When one begins to walk the path of forgiveness, it becomes evident that our ego has been keeping us safe from ourselves. When one commits to forgiveness, our ego slowly doles out the memories of errors, mistakes, and transgressions we once committed. Why? Because if we were immediately in touch with all our errors, we would become overwhelmed and unable to surmount the task. Not to mention, we might run from the process.
What happens is this, we commit to the path, practice a layer of forgiveness then suddenly find a new layer underneath. If you are unaware of this process, you might mislabel the process as not working. This is not what is happening. The ego supports you, but protects you from overwhelm by allowing you to recognize what’s in the way a little bit at a time. If any individual was to identify all their errors in one fell swoop, they could be traumatized by the mountain of guilt, shame, and self-blame hovering within their subconscious. It is better to practice forgiveness over the long term than to have it all dumped on you at once.
Practicing forgiveness is akin to building a muscle that needs to be slow to grow, so it is permanent and not occasional. Stay aware of how the process works so you don’t get discouraged or label yourself as doing it wrong. Practicing self-forgiveness is the same as mana from God. A daily dose of inspiration. Embracing it helps you to love yourself through the process, to have compassion and self-empathy as you move bravely and intentionally through the process.
Rest in the gladness of this good and sacred work. Love yourself through it. Bless your ego and trust that your path is ordained. Freedom is on the other side of this temporary discomfort. You deserve to be free of your past. Practicing forgiveness and honoring the role of your ego will support you along the way and it will allow you to fall more deeply in love with the self that is you.
