The second man is the Lord from Heaven.
– 1 Corinthians 15:47
He doesn’t focus on caterpillars. Instead, he says, “There are future butterflies on our cabbages.”
He doesn’t say, “It’s winter.” He says, “Summer is resting.”
No bud is too small or dull for him not to see it as the beginning of a bloom.
– Mary Webb, Precious Bane
Start with Revision
The first step to correcting or healing anything is revision. Begin with yourself—your own attitude is what needs to change.
As Emerson said: What we are, that only can we see.
Reliving your day as you wish it had gone, and revising it to match your ideals, is one of the healthiest and most transformative exercises you can do.
For example, imagine you received bad news in the mail. Take that letter, mentally rewrite it to contain the news you wanted to receive, and picture yourself reading it over and over. That’s revision, and it has the power to erase the unwanted and replace it with your ideal.
The key is to focus your attention completely on this revised version until it feels real. Through this practice, your senses will expand, and you’ll develop clearer vision. But remember: the ultimate purpose of revision is to awaken within you the “Spirit of Jesus”—the spirit of continuous forgiveness.
The Power of Forgiveness
True revision transforms you. It changes you into someone who forgives easily, who aligns with their ideal self. Without imagination, people remain trapped in their old ways. But imagination sets you free because forgiveness is the very life of imagination.
Forgiving isn’t just saying “I forgive you.” It’s reliving an event in your mind the way you wish it had happened. Each time you truly forgive—by reimagining a moment as it should have been lived—you experience rebirth.
“Father, forgive them” isn’t a prayer to be said once a year. It’s a daily opportunity. Sincere forgiveness lifts you to higher levels of existence. It transforms your life, much like an ongoing Easter—where you rise anew every day.
Freedom and forgiveness are inseparable. When you forgive, you free yourself.
As Luke 6:37 says: Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
Revision Is Joyful Work
Take pleasure in revising your day. Forgive with a genuine desire to see others at their best. This isn’t about duty—it’s about joyfully imagining a better reality. Even small revisions to your daily troubles and frustrations are victories over your own limitations.
Your real “enemies” are the negative states within you—your thoughts and emotions. By revising your day, you change these inner states and, as a result, your future.
When you master the art of revision, you’ll see dramatic changes in your life. The “realist,” who clings to facts, might find this unbelievable. But like the story of the Prodigal Son, a “change of heart” can produce radical transformations.
A Story of Healing Through Revision
Here’s an example of revision in action:
A teacher recalled a day where she injured her foot by dropping a chair. At first, she blamed the janitor for not doing his job properly. But later, she realized this criticism had “bounced back” at her. That evening, her foot swelled, became hot, and she couldn’t walk on it.
Instead of panicking, she quieted her mind and asked her imagination what to do. The answer came: “Review your day.” So, she mentally relived her day, correcting every unpleasant event. She reimagined herself greeting a man who had ignored her earlier, and in her mind, he smiled back and said “Hi.” She continued revising each moment until she felt at peace.
The next morning, her foot was completely healed. What she had experienced wasn’t a dream but a true healing brought about by revision.
This is the power of imagination—it allows you to transform pain and discord into harmony.
The Art of Living: Forgetting and Forgiving
Blake said: In Heaven, the only art of living is forgetting and forgiving.
We should see life not as it seems but as it could be, through the eyes of imagination.
When you revise your day, what seemed stubbornly real fades away like a dream. By imagining better speech and actions, you can not only change your own life but also create harmony in the lives of others.
Every act of revision strengthens your ability to love. With practice, revision becomes effortless, and you’ll find yourself aligning more and more with truth and love.
Revision and Truth
To know the truth, you must live it. And to live the truth, your inner actions—what you imagine—must align with the fulfillment of your desires. Your outer world is simply the result of your inner movements.
When you revise your day, you prune away the unwanted and allow the ideal to take shape. Revision is the secret to living a life filled with love and harmony.
As Colossians 1:27 says: Christ in you, the hope of glory.
By practicing revision, you’ll discover that paradise isn’t something outside you—it’s created within, through the art of forgiveness and imagination. Try it. Use the pruning shears of revision, and watch your life bear beautiful fruit.