Jesus Said To Forgive... Because He Said So

 Why We Sometimes Resist Forgiveness

When you were younger, your mother told you to clean up your room. Maybe you didn’t really see the purpose in having a clean room. Maybe toys and clothes strung all over the floor suited you just fine. But... Mother said so. She told you to clean it up. Period. And if you questioned her, she might have even said, “Because I say so.”

Photo by Vije Vijendranath on Unsplash

Now, all these years later, you might just realize that she was right all along. Having a clean room actually makes life so much better. It’s easier to find things, it’s more peaceful, and it just feels better to be in a space that’s tidy. Mother knew best.

Just like Mother, Jesus always knows best. When He tells you to forgive, you do it. Not because you understand the full reason right away, but because Jesus said so.

Forgiveness may not always make sense in the moment. It may feel difficult or unfair, especially when someone has wronged you. But just like cleaning your room, forgiveness has a purpose. It clears the clutter from your heart, making space for peace, joy, and love to flow. It sets you free.

Jesus’ Command to Forgive

Jesus didn’t just suggest forgiveness; He commanded it. In the Gospels, He says, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). A Course in Miracles echoes this: “You who have sought release in many ways must now accept the one true means of release, which is forgiveness."— A Course in Miracles, T-9.VII.3:6

Forgiveness Makes Life Better

When Jesus tells us something is crucially important, we trust that He knows best. And just like a clean room, forgiveness ultimately makes our lives better. So, the next time forgiveness feels hard, remember: Jesus said to do it. And like Mother’s wisdom, it’s for your own good.

Want to go deeper into forgiveness?

• Explore how forgiveness reconnects us to divine compassion in Unblocking our Connection to Love.
• My book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness, offers heartfelt guidance, spiritual tools, and real-life practices. Read it on Amazon →
• Let daily affirmations support you too — discover the Forgiveness Metta Card Deck for a gentle morning practice of peace and release. View the deck on Etsy → https://www.etsy.com/listing/4350470896/metta-prayer-forgiveness-affirmation
  
• Want to receive free weekly forgiveness coaching emails? Sign up and get insights, tools, and inspiration to deepen your practice of forgiveness. Sign up here →
  
• New: Explore the Forgive and Be Happy Etsy Shop for more inspiration and products: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ForgiveAndBeHappy                       

Let these tools light your path — because forgiveness sets you free.

— Sue Pipal

Made by God.

Recognizing Our Holiness Heals Guilt and Fear

I am made by God.  He created me exactly in His own image.  Therefore I am holy.  I am beloved.  I am perfect in every way.  

"My holiness is my salvation."

"Since my holiness saves me from all guilt, recognizing my holiness is recognizing my salvation.  It is also recognizing the salvation of the world.  Once I have accepted my holiness, nothing can make me afraid.  And because I am unafraid, everyone must share in my understanding, which is the gift of God to me and to the world." --A Course in Miracles  From the review materials for Workbook lesson 39 (see page 97)

When I practice self-forgiveness, I remind myself: I am made by God. I am cherished, precious, and wholly loved. I am only love. There is nothing evil, sinful, or wrong about me. I am perfect in every way. I am part of God.

Guilt is self attack and it is always insane. --Living A Course in Miracles, Jon Mundy

A practice that helps me release guilt and fear is to create an altar to God in my mind. I visualize it as shining white marble, vast and beautiful. I place anything I feel guilty, hurt, or angry about onto this altar and hand it over to the Holy Spirit. He will handle it, wash me clean, and remove my fear.

Want to go deeper into forgiveness?

• Explore how forgiveness reconnects us to divine compassion in Unblocking our Connection to Love.

• My book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness, offers heartfelt guidance, spiritual tools, and real-life practices. Read it on Amazon →

• Let daily affirmations support you too — discover the Forgiveness Metta Card Deck for a gentle morning practice of peace and release. View the deck on Etsy →

• Receive free weekly forgiveness coaching emails and insights to deepen your practice → Sign up here

Let these tools light your path — because forgiveness sets you free.

— Sue Pipal

Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness is available at:

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Forgiveness and God's Love: Insights from A Course in Miracles, Lesson 46

Many of us were brought up believing that we must ask God to forgive us.  However, God doesn't forgive!!  Does this idea surprise you?

God never judges and therefore he never finds it necessary to forgive.  I find this message to be of great comfort. 

"God does not forgive because He has never condemned. And there must be condemnation before forgiveness is necessary. Forgiveness is the great need of this world, but that is because it is a world of illusions. Those who forgive are thus releasing themselves from illusions, while those who withhold forgiveness are binding themselves to them. As you condemn only yourself, so do you forgive only yourself." --A Course in Miracles, Workbook, Lesson 46

 As our creator, God always knows his own truth about each of us.  We are perfect.  We are only good. We are love always and everywhere. 

Since God made us exactly in his own image, we can only be these things.  If we judge ourselves to be anything other than this, it is only our own self-created illusion.  We perceive that we are not perfect and therefore need God's forgiveness.

When we forgive others, we are actually acknowledging their truth--that there is nothing to judge them for, because they are also created in perfection.  They are only good.  They are love always and everywhere. 

The reason why it is so essential that we forgive others and see their truth is that as we see their truth, we actually begin to convince ourselves of our own truth.  If they are perfect, then we must be too.

"Yet although God does not forgive, His Love is nevertheless the basis of forgiveness. Fear condemns and love forgives. Forgiveness thus undoes what fear has produced, returning the mind to the awareness of God. For this reason, forgiveness can truly be called salvation. It is the means by which illusions disappear."  --Lesson 46 

Lesson 46 is the first place in the workbook that the concept of forgiveness is explored in any depth. Personally, I love the beautiful safety of knowing that I never need feel that I must ask for God's forgiveness.  Asking implies that it is possible that forgiveness might be withheld. 

Our fear of exactly that is the root of all of our problems.  We all live with deep and massive unconscious fear and guilt.  Our worry that God may disapprove of us, withhold his love from us, or feel angry toward us, causes tremendous and constant anxiety in our minds.  Here, in this very first Workbook message about forgiveness, we are being reassured that we need not worry about being judged by God.  God has only love and support to offer us. 

"I cannot be guilty because I am a Son of God.
I have already been forgiven.
No fear is possible in a mind beloved of God.
There is no need to attack because love has forgiven me."--Lesson 46

A Forgiveness Blessing: Sending Healing to Those Who Trigger You

Try this sometime on someone you feel annoyed with.  Simply close your eyes and feel these thoughts going out to them, blessing and healing.  All thoughts are shared.  When you know your brother's truth, it becomes available for them to know, too. 

You are immense, because you are everywhere. 

You are magnificent, because you are what God is. 

You are always, because you live in eternity.