Forgiveness is the key to happiness.

5-1-2026

“Each unforgiving mind presents you with an opportunity to teach your own how to forgive itself. Each one awaits release from hell through you, and turns to you imploringly for Heaven here and now.” [CE W-121.7:1-2]

In my meditation practice, I looked upon a person I have never met, the mother of a friend. Earlier today I caught myself judging this person. They don’t seem to make choices that I feel are appropriate for a mother. When I opened my heart, I understood she was a hurt person loving the best she could.

When a person says that they love me but are not giving me what I want, do I judge this as not love? I think so.

I heard the woman, over the phone, say ‘I love you’ to her daughter. I judged this as false because I expect motherly actions to go along with the statement of love.

I have a measuring system based on action. I understand why I have this as I come from a long lineage of hardworking, over extended, manage-everything mothers. My love-language is doing everything for everyone. I recognize in myself that this is more than managing, it is controlling so that my world is OK for me.  But this does not fit with my understanding of love.

Things are getting clearer as to why I don’t receive love well.

Who am I to judge how someone is able to express love?

Looking in the CE Glossary for ‘Forgiveness’, it offers “Forgiveness, then, is the recognition that there is nothing to forgive.” If someone is doing their best based on their life experiences, past and present, this is a new perspective. Humility enters as I realize that I don’t know everything and then compassion enters for the person who has their own journey back to God.

Here is an affirmation built upon this new insight into myself:

I let go of the belief that people don’t love me. (I made that up as another control over my life.) People love me, extend their love, in the way that expressing love works for them. 

5-1-2024

“The unforgiving mind … offers love no room to be itself.”

My ‘River of Love’ metaphor has been assisting me regularly this week. Am I in the flow or blocking the flow? The ‘unforgiving mind’ is when the flow is being blocked. This means that the forgiving mind is happily floating along in the flow of the river of God’s Love.

In this world we think of forgiveness as reconciliation with another person so it makes it difficult for may to move into forgiveness. The phrase ‘forgive and forget’ is the culprit. For man to remain safe, it is best that they keep their distance and not reconcile. But forgiveness is work within; changing one’s perception to knowing that God’s Love is within the ‘bothersome’ ones as well. Forgiveness heals ourselves. It is choosing to set back into the river and float, letting go, feeling happy as Love’s presence shines within us again.

5-1-2023

“The unforgiving mind is full of fear, and offers Love no room to be itself; no place where it can spread its wings in peace and soar above the turmoil of the world.”

I made a change yesterday whereby Love has more room to fly within me. The words of the lesson sunk in more deeply than expected. I changed my mind, so I appreciate the invitation offered today.

Also, yesterday we learned of a family friend who lost a loved one to suicide. The pain described in the lesson, attributed to the unforgiving mind, I sense is what drives a person to kill themselves.

I forgave myself. I let go of the past that is no more.

“Perhaps you can look at this world in transition and dare to echo God in Genesis [1:31]: behold, it is good … it is very good. Perhaps you can see transition as an essential part of that goodness that is better than perfection.” ~ Brian McLaren, CAC Daily Meditation, 5-1-2023

5-1-2022

“Forgiveness is acquired.”

This is a shock to learn. I guess this goes back to us all being innocent, light and love, as God created us.

“A sin is an idea you taught yourself, forgiveness must be learned by you as well.”

So, I can’t do this on my own. I see Christ Jesus as the bringer of this lesson to the western world (perhaps the whole world, IDK). Those who dove deep into his teachings, the Way, gained knowledge. My church taught ‘turn the other cheek’, but I can see how this added to the culture of suffering. Our catechism did not go far enough to achieve this, and it wasn’t exemplified in the hierarchy.

The lesson’s practice asks us to see the light in our enemies—this is even a further reach.

Forgiveness requires teachers. This explains why the Course includes a manual for teachers.

Once we know forgiveness, do we then default to being teachers to others?

[Yes … by your actions you will be known as followers of Christ.] _/\_

I made a promise to God. I’m here, ready to learn of forgiveness.

[] denotes answer from HS.