According to Tau Malachi, in “Living Gnosis”, the ancient root meaning of the word mercy is “womb”. It is an interesting idea because the word mercy is something we have usually thought of as forgiveness, compassion, charity, or clemency. Combing the meaning of the word mercy as forgiveness and compassion with the meaning of womb suggests that whatever emotion we hold onto is what we then in turn grow. What are you growing in your womb today?Another way of looking at this is whatever we sow, we reap. It is the law of cause and effect. Jesus’ words remind us of the same thing, “Blessed are the merciful for they will obtain (or receive) mercy.” They also follow the same concept as the words in the “Lord’s Prayer” that say, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
Both of these scriptures alert us to an important spiritual principle on our earthly journey. Whatever we hold onto we grow into something larger. Our emotional center is basically a womb. If we cleave to anger, hatred, and bitterness, we grow it into something larger and get more of the same. If we embrace love and forgiveness, it also grows and we will find more and more of it in our lives.
We are like human incubators so that what starts out as something small can grow into something quite large. So, I ask again, what are you growing in your womb today? If you are uncertain, look around and observe what is looming large in your life right now. Are you surrounded with love, joy, peace, and happiness? Or are you surrounded with envy, unhappiness, grief, and un-forgiveness? What you are surrounded by is a good indication of what you are growing in your womb. It is a good indication of what you are harboring in your heart.
In order to grow something beautiful in our lives, we must let go of our need to hold onto negative emotions and blaming. Any negative emotion in our hearts will grow into something larger. It takes up all available space. The only way to have something beautiful in your life is to let go and forgive. It sounds simple enough, but it takes complete surrender to the Christ power to release our stranglehold on our own negativity.
The amazing thing about surrendering to a higher power is that we are given more in return than what we let go of. The joy of receiving forgiveness far outweighs the effort in letting go of resentment, anger, and bitterness. But we have to forgive in order to receive forgiveness. The scripture states it clearly; “You are blessed when you are merciful (forgiving, compassionate, and loving), for in being merciful (forgiving, compassionate, and loving) you receive mercy (forgiveness, compassion, and love).
When put this way it makes me wonder why we hold onto our blaming and unforgiving ways for so long. There is obviously some payoff, some secondary gain that we feel we receive by hanging onto our resentments. Perhaps we have grown dependent on the negative energy that is generated. Maybe we don’t know any other way. Could it be that we have allowed the negative to serve as a hard crust covering our hearts in order to protect and shield them shutting out anything that might make us feel vulnerable?
The promise is there, the spiritual law is certain, that by forgiving we will receive forgiveness—by being merciful we will obtain mercy. We do reap what we sow. We give birth to what we nurture in our womb. In the case of emotions, we will either give birth to beauty in our lives or we will give birth to something deformed and in the image of darkness.
The only way out of the darkness is through the light. It is available to all. Anyone who wants to be filled with the light of God’s presence is given the assurance that they will be filled. In my own life I have found that releasing my pain, anger, resentment, and sorrow has opened my heart to receive the forgiveness and joy that God wants to put in my heart instead. It has been a great trade. The husks of the old splinter and fall away, and the true essence of my heart can begin to grow something beautiful and shine with the light of God’s love.
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