Explore spiritual teachings, real-life stories, and practical tools to help you forgive, release, and return to peace. Rooted in A Course in Miracles, compassionate spirituality, and soul-centered healing.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query unblocking our connection to love. Sort by dateShow all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query unblocking our connection to love. Sort by dateShow all posts
"That is a fact and represents the truth of What you are and What your Father is. It is this thought by which the Father gave creation to the Son, establishing the Son as a co-creator with Himself. It is this thought that fully guarantees salvation to the Son. For in his mind no thoughts can dwell but those his Father shares. Lack of forgiveness blocks this thought from his awareness. Yet it is forever true."--A Course in Miracles Workbook Review IV p. 273
Lack of forgiveness blocks this thought from our awareness.
This is one of the reasons why forgiveness is the key to happiness. Our minds can never be fully restored to their true state, where we think and create with God, if we are holding grievances and judging others.
Simply put, we can never be happy when we are in a state of unforgiveness, because it blocks our connection to God. And when our connection to God is blocked, we are not ourselves. We are separated from our truth. We are not living the love we were created to be. And we are unable to give and receive love fully in this state.
Why Judgment Separates Us from Love
When we hold grievances and judge others, we are refusing to recognize the truth that not only were we created by the father as a co-creator, but that everyone else was, too!!
It is in the recognizing of this very fact, that we are all equal and the same...that we are all one...that we are all, simply, love...that we come to receive our own happiness.
Seeing Others as They Truly Are
Yes, others often forget their truth and behave in ways that are ignorant, selfish, or unkind. But it is our responsibility as a true Son of God, to take the higher ground, to know their truth for them by holding a place of love in our minds for them. And in so doing, we offer them—mentally and spiritually—a space to awaken to their own truth, that they too, are simply, love. We offer them the chance to heal when we forgive them through our recognition of who they really are, co-creators of God.
The Healing Happens in the Mind
Because after all, this is all about the mind. It's about what we do in our thinking. All minds are connected. So when we forgive and offer love instead of fear, we are healing our own minds and we are offering healing to our trespassers as well. And that is their chance to heal along with us.
Want to go deeper into forgiveness?
Read this posting on what might be today's most important forgiveness issue, Forgiving World Leaders.
Make forgiveness a daily practice. Let the Forgiveness Metta Cards guide you each morning with affirmations and soul soothing reminders to help you release and bless. A beautiful companion to your journal and meditation time. Take a look on Etsy →
Receive free weekly forgiveness coaching emails with insights and tools to help you practice forgiveness in everyday life. Sign up here →
Let these tools support your journey — because forgiveness sets you free.
"What is forgiveness if it is not extending the energy of Love to another and joining with him or her? What is forgiveness if it is not the key to our awakening? What is forgiveness if it is not the ONLY way to overcome the illusion of separation?"--Colin Tipping
Colin Tipping on the Power of Forgiveness
Colin Tipping, a profound teacher on the topic of forgiveness, truly understood the deep transformative power that forgiveness can bring into our lives. His words are a beacon of wisdom for anyone on a spiritual journey. He asks us, “What is forgiveness if it is not extending the energy of Love to another and joining with him or her? What is forgiveness if it is not the key to our awakening? What is forgiveness if it is not the ONLY way to overcome the illusion of separation?”
Forgiveness as the Key to Awakening
For Colin, forgiveness isn’t just an act—it’s the key that unlocks our spiritual growth and re-establishes our connection to one another. When we forgive, we transcend the ego’s need to separate, heal the wounds of the past, and embrace the love and compassion that flow from a place of divine truth.
Releasing Separation and Embracing Connection
It is through forgiveness that we begin to understand that we are not separate from each other or from God. We are all interconnected, and when we forgive, we come back into alignment with this universal truth. Forgiveness isn’t about excusing behavior; it’s about releasing the energy that keeps us bound to past pain, allowing us to live in peace, harmony, and connection.
The Freedom That Comes with Forgiveness
I personally resonate deeply with Colin Tipping’s perspective on forgiveness. It is the gateway to our true nature, and it is through forgiving ourselves and others that we unlock the freedom to awaken to a life of love, compassion, and peace. It’s not always easy, but it is always worth it.
Explore Colin Tipping’s Community of Radical Forgiveness
If you’re ready to dive deeper into this powerful teaching, you can read more on Colin’s website, Radical Forgiveness. I also encourage you to purchase his book, also entitled Radical Forgiveness. Unfortunately, Colin Tipping passed on in 2019, but his forgiveness community of coaches, programs and books lives on.
Want to go deeper into forgiveness?
Explore how forgiveness reconnects us to divine compassion in Unblocking our Connection to Love. Read it here →
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 →
Let these tools light your path — because forgiveness sets you free.
— Sue Pipal
In light of current events, many people are feeling victimized, ignored, or horrified by decisions and actions of world leaders. It can be overwhelming and upsetting, and it’s easy to feel powerless.
We believe this may be one of the most important posts on the blog right now. We’re reposting it as a service to help you navigate these feelings spiritually, offering guidance on forgiveness and maintaining inner peace even in the midst of global challenges.
Cruel world leaders? It's not anything new. Throughout history mankind has been led by self-serving, power hungry world leaders who have put their desires above the needs of those they lead. Wars, poverty, and suffering in many forms are created by singular individuals or small groups who have used their power for their own selfish gains.
Today not much has changed. People continue to suffer in many places due to narcissistic leaders who start wars, oppress others or simply deny their people basic rights... all for the gain of power, land, resources or money.
Why Forgiving World Leaders Is Hard—and So Important
From a spiritual perspective, how are we meant to respond? We see the suffering they create. Yet, we also know we must forgive them. Yes--it's a hard assignment, sometimes distasteful, perhaps one of the most difficult we will be given in life. But we need to tackle it, so let's go.
Seeing Global Suffering Through a Spiritual Lens
First, let’s zoom out and simply accept, as A Course in Miracles teaches, that we never truly know what anything is for here. As souls, do we finally collectively evolve when we look upon all the horrible suffering in the world and choose love? Could it be possible that suffering exists as a catalyst to help the people of the world to join together to create a better world and choose love, sharing, service and oneness finally and forever over fear, hatred and self service? Maybe, just maybe, these challenging world leaders exist to help us evolve. They provide the contrast as what we don't want from which we can choose anew. We might see them as great learning tools for society as a whole.
Second, we need to know deep in our hearts that every one of us, no matter how seemingly difficult, ugly or bullying is actually part of the great oneness. We are all sourced from God. We are all interconnected. It's true that when we come here to this crazy confusing planet many of us forget who we are, get lost in the madness and behave badly. But that behavior does not change who we really are, our true identity as a Child of God. It just means that we are temporarily not aware of who we are.
Remember the words of Jesus on the cross, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do". This is an important key to forgiveness, knowing that ultimately people might do better if they knew better.
Acknowledging Your Pain and Emotions
So here's how I forgive world leaders. Often, I'll catch a headline on my ipad or I'll hear a story on NPR as I'm driving around in my car. First, I stop and feel my feelings. It's okay to acknowledge the pain. For me, lately, its often specifically grief and sadness that I feel over the suffering today in places like the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the hunger in Africa, the displacement of people such as in Myanmar, the denial of women's rights in Iran and Afghanistan and so many other places and issues. (And of course, the painful schism right here at home in the US!)
Recognize Your Judgments and Release Them
I may also notice myself judging and condemning various people or groups. Perhaps I might think something like, "I can't believe _______ is doing such a cruel thing. He is a selfish bully who is only out for himself and is completely blinded about how his decisions affect others in the world."
All right. Take a beat.
It's time to just notice that I am judging. No need for me to criticize or scold myself for this. I just notice and maybe take a breath or two to get myself back into my heart space. And, by the way, I must be sure not to get so activated that I go into victim mode along with those harmed by these leaders. I need to dig deep to control my thoughts and immediately stop all that negative jabber thinking in my brain right here. I ban thoughts like, "That's so unfair. He's a hideous man. I hate him." I use my breath to get myself into a calmer space of neutrality where I can do the important forgiveness work I need to do.
A Simple Prayer to Forgive World Leaders
After I allow myself a moment to acknowledge my feelings followed by a little breathing and mind calming, I'll start to think or say something like:
"World leader or power group (fill in any appropriate name) _______________, You are Spirit, whole and innocent. I forgive you. I release you. I bless you with love."
I might repeat or chant this for awhile until I feel a release in my heart.
Then I simply go on with my day until the next time something happens and I feel activated again. I might have to repeat this little forgiveness trick every time I hear the news about this particular leader or part of the world. That's okay. I just keep noticing my feelings and working on my forgiveness. If it's a daily thing or even something I need to do many times a day, that's just fine. I just keep forgiving and converting my fearful, judgmental, angry, sad thoughts into forgiveness and love. That's my job in all this. It's the way I can be the most helpful to the world. And it's your job too. It's your mission, should you decide to accept it.
Sometimes, that little short saying just isn't enough to clear through the anguish I feel at what is happening in the world. In that case I pull out my big forgiveness prayer. It always does the job for me although sometimes I have to do it two or three times to obtain peace. Here it is:
"World Leader_____________, You are Spirit, whole and innocent. I forgive you, I release you, I bless you with love. You are a child of God, perfect, whole and complete. God created you exactly in his own image. You are pure Love, you are pure Joy, you are perfect Peace. God loves you infinitely. You are God's beloved only Son. I forgive you. I release you. I bless you with love."
Blessed relief. That feels better!
Boost your daily forgiveness practice with a tool thoughtfully created to support your spiritual growth:
Our Forgiveness Metta Card Deck. We carefully designed each card with your well-being in mind, so you can practice seeing the higher truth in everyone you encounter—even the most challenging people. With gentle prompts and affirmations, it helps you release anger, cultivate compassion, and bless even the toughest situations. This deck was made to guide and support you on your journey, helping you integrate forgiveness into your daily life with ease and intention.
Extending Forgiveness to Supporters Too
But wait, there's more...what do I do about supporters of selfish World Leaders? Some of these leaders have actually been voted into power! We forgive their supporters, too, of course, even if we can't relate at all to their opinions and choices. Remember that God gave us all the gift of free will. Free will is a law of the universe. It seems that it was important to Him that we all be given the chance to choose how we perceive the world to be. Everybody gets to choose their own favorite ride in this crazy Disneyland world. Accept that. Get over it. Let them be. Stop judging. And go ahead and use one of the forgiveness practices above to forgive them.
Best of all, you'll feel better when you do.
How Forgiveness Benefits You
Remember that forgiveness releases you, too. It's actually a gift you give to yourself. Another law of the Universe--you get what you give. When you forgive and offer love, what comes back to you is peace.
My book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness, offers heartfelt guidance, spiritual tools, and real-life practices. Read it on Amazon → | Barnes & Noble →
Let daily affirmations support you too — discover the Forgiveness Metta Card Deck for a gentle morning practice of peace and release.
Browse more forgiveness tools, art, and daily reminders in our Etsy Shop → Visit Etsy Shop
Receive free weekly forgiveness coaching emails and insights to deepen your practice → Sign up here
Enjoyed this post? Follow this blog to get new forgiveness insights delivered straight to your inbox! Just click the Follow button at the top of the page.
Explore how forgiveness reconnects us to divine compassion in Unblocking our Connection to Love. Read it here →
Let these tools light your path — because forgiveness sets you free.
— Sue Pipal
I've had this statement taped to the inside of my medicine cabinet door for the past four years at least. I'm not sure where I found it, perhaps it's from A Course in Miracles.
What We Give, We Receive
It is an important reminder each day that what we give out is returned to us. If I mentally criticize others on a regular basis, I know that I will feel like the world around me is watching me with disapproving eyes.
On the other hand, if I go about my day looking for the best aspects of everyone I meet, seeing them through eyes of love and overlooking shortcomings, I will be supported, valued and cherished by the world around me.
Seeing Through Eyes of Love
I once attended a seminar with Stuart Mooney, a self acclaimed American Buddha, who says he is enlightened. I love what he had to say about the people in his world, "I just love everyone I see. To me they are just so lovable, even the unpleasant ones." Isn't this a perfect way to put it?
Everyone Is on Their Own Journey
Of course, not everyone out there is making the best choices. When I say overlooking shortcomings, it's not that we don't always see another's "unpleasantness", but that we do learn to accept it as what is. It's our job to respect everyone's right to their own adventures in this world. If they choose to be difficult or misled, we have to just chalk it up to the fact that they simply don't know better and they're doing whatever it is they think they need to do to make the best of this life. As Course students, we often say that we all either living love or crying out for love.
A Course in Miracles says that "we don't know what anything is for." Therefore it's important not to judge what we see around us. Since we are all here to get our forgiveness lessons so that we can grow and purify ourselves--until we eventually awaken, it is quite necessary that we have forgiveness opportunities. That means someone has to play the bad guy so that there will be something to forgive. The person that you love to hate just may be a soul who has come here in this lifetime with an agreement to be annoying so that you can have the opportunity to forgive him and grow.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that we allow murders and child molesters to roam freely harming others at will. When people behave in a manner that is dangerous to others, we need to protect the innocents. However, even criminals are deserving of our loving forgiveness.
Forgiveness as a Spiritual Practice
Healing one's mind of the habit of judging is not something that happens over-night, at least in my experience. I've been working on it for some years now and although I've made a lot of progress, I still find my mind thinking critical thoughts occasionally. It really is only a habit though and if you stop and notice it, over time it will lessen.
Watch Your Mind, Even on Screen
I think it's very important that we carefully watch television, listen to the radio, read the papers or browse the internet. And we need to make sure we’re not judging people we don’t even know (or even judging characters in TV shows or movies). Just because we don't know someone does not give us the license to judge them. Remember that all minds are linked and on some level, you are attacking these people. Also, this habit of judging people and fictional characters makes it even harder to stop judging the real people in our lives.
Want to go deeper into forgiveness?
Read this posting that explains more on why forgiveness is our best pathway to peace and happiness: Unblocking our Connection to Love
My book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness, offers gentle guidance, spiritual reflections, and real-world practices to help you heal, release, and return to peace.
Make forgiveness a daily practice. Let the Forgiveness Metta Cards guide you each morning with affirmations and soul-soothing reminders to help you release and bless. A beautiful companion to your journal or meditation time.
If we're going to have a true forgiveness practice, we're going to have to forgive the shooters. I know. This is a really hard one. Yes, I’m talking about the shooters, the people who commit acts that seem unforgivable. And yes, we’re going to explore why forgiveness matters even here
Forgiveness Unblocks the Divine
Forgiveness serves many purposes, but one of the most profound is that it reconnects us to the divine. When we only forgive some of the transgressors, we block ourselves from fully experiencing unity with the great Oneness. True spiritual freedom comes when our forgiveness extends without limits—even to those whose actions shock or horrify us. And remember, forgiving them does not mean condoning or approving their actions. Forgiveness is about freeing your own heart and opening to love, even in the face of what feels unforgivable.
When we begin the difficult work of forgiving “shooters” or anyone who commits acts of extreme violence, a helpful step is empathy. Try to imagine what could cause someone to behave this way. Often, these individuals feel alienated, unloved, or harshly judged. Many were bullied as children, had few friends, or never felt they belonged. It’s not an excuse, but understanding their suffering can soften our hearts and open the door to forgiveness.
Society’s Role
We can’t ignore the environment that shapes these behaviors. When society normalizes games where children simulate shooting others for hours, what mindset are we cultivating? We are literally training young minds to think in terms of guns and violence, numbing them to the horror and suffering that such actions cause. This societal conditioning contributes to a cycle of pain that extends far beyond the individual.
Why Forgive Anyway
It’s hard. It may feel repugnant. But forgiveness is about freeing ourselves first. Resentment, anger, and fear keep us trapped, while forgiveness releases us and opens the way to love, clarity, and peace. Extending forgiveness—even in these extreme cases—connects us to the higher truth of our shared humanity and to the divine Oneness that unites us all.
The Simple Truth About Forgiveness
It really is simple to forgive these people. Just remember: they are all children of God, too. God created them, and He loves them. If He can love them, we can at least extend forgiveness.
God sees all of us beyond our crazy actions on this psycho planet. He knows our true goodness because He created us exactly in His own image. He is pure love, and in our ultimate truth, so are we.
All you have to do is hold that thought for these poor, misdirected souls. Feel it in your own heart for a moment or two. That’s what forgiveness truly is: a moment of seeing the higher truth.
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
Browse more forgiveness tools, art, and daily reminders in our Etsy Shop
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
Let these tools light your path — because forgiveness sets you free.
— Sue Pipal
Even though I am a student of A Course in Miracles, I regularly attend a Science of Mind church. My minister, Rev. Liz Luoma, likes to refer to us all as adorable little packages of God. We’re all in different “packages,” but underneath, we are all the same essence.
Last month, during the Halloween season, she likened these packages to costumes. When we live on earth, we take on a costume (or role or character) and develop it over a lifetime. Our entire lives become a process of refining this character—often haunted by egoic fears and shadows.
Which costume have you chosen?
The Ego as a Scary Costume
Which costume have you chosen? In A Course in Miracles, these costumes are called the “ego.” The ego is our creation, not God’s. Take away the costume, the role, the character, and what is left? The part of us that God created—timeless, endless, unlimited, perfect, and One with God.
Underneath all the costumes and roles, we are not ourselves as the world sees us—we are the love and essence God created.
Lost in the Spooky Movie of Life
But we get so busy living in our costumes that we forget who we really are. We become utterly consumed by the fantasy, convinced that our roles define us. It’s like going to a spooky movie—the lights go out, the story becomes our world, and we are completely absorbed.
Our lives on earth are similar. We get caught in the haunted illusions and forget our true selves.
Drop the costumes to forgive
Forgiving requires that we simply drop those egoic costumes for a moment. There is a larger part of us and it is not here in this false Halloween-like world of costumes. We must remember that everyone is really only Love and always One in God.
Forgiveness is the act of accepting that people come here to this 3D earth and put on a costume and do silly things. They are deluded, they have simply forgotten who they really are. When we forgive, we remember for them, who they really are.
Words for Haunted and Creepy Forgiveness
You can start your forgiveness practice with these words:
You are Spirit,
Whole and Innocent,
I forgive you.
I release you.
I bless you with Love.
I often begin with these words, then continue through a deeper process to see the higher truth for someone I am forgiving. It takes about five minutes and allows me to shift feelings from egoic fear to Love, no matter how personally scary, creepy, or even globally destructive someone’s actions may seem.
Learn the Process in My Book
The full process is detailed in my book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness. It walks you through seeing through the costumes of this temporary world, focusing on higher truth, and practicing forgiveness for greater peace and joy.
Want to go deeper into forgiveness?
Explore how forgiveness reconnects us to divine compassion in Unblocking our Connection to Love. Read it here →
Let daily affirmations support you too — discover the Forgiveness Metta Card Deck for a gentle morning practice of peace and release.
Receive free weekly forgiveness coaching emails and insights to deepen your practice → Sign up here
Enjoyed this post? Follow this blog to get new forgiveness insights delivered straight to your inbox! Just click the Follow button at the top of the page.
Let these tools light your path — because forgiveness sets you free.
— Sue Pipal
When I was in my early 30s, I joined a book club. One meeting, I remarked that it seemed like all the books we had been reading were filled with angst. “Where are the happy people and the happy stories?” I wondered.
I was surprised when my book club friends all looked at me blankly. “Sue, the world is not about happiness,” they said. I was shocked. This was a group of successful career women, many with corporate husbands, lovely homes, and small children cared for by nannies. On the surface, we looked happy—but not so.
The Hidden Struggles Beneath the Surface
As we went around the room, each woman confessed she didn’t feel happy much of the time. They spent most of their lives navigating monstrous “to-do” lists, keeping their households running, excelling at work, and caring for everyone around them.
Beneath their exterior success, they were disappointed in unmet expectations, struggled with feeling unconnected, and often felt distant from family and friends. Every one of them battled fear, rejection, and inadequacy.
Every one of them was secretly bitterly disappointed that
their husbands did not love them in the way that they had once hoped they would
be cherished and loved, that their bosses and co-workers did not see them as
shining saviors for the companies they worked for, that they struggled with feeling
unconnected and distant from their closest friends, and were heart-broken to
findthemselves physically separated from parents and families who often lived significant
distances away.
Their lives were a constant state of worry, inadequacy and
disappointment.Each one battled daily
with fears of rejection and abandonment.Each one lived a surface life of success and happiness but underneath
resided a deep-seated terror that the gig was about to be up.Each lived with a terrible and secret fear
that their real truth would somehow rise to the surface, and the whole
structure they had worked tirelessly to create would shatter to the ground.
The truth is that when the lights go out in the middle of
the night and we’re alone with our thoughts, every one of us feels achingly
lonely, remorseful and terrified.
What We Really Feel Is Guilt
Much of what we call unhappiness is actually guilt. We feel guilty because we are living separately from God. Denying that guilt drives us to chase accomplishments, possessions, and the symbols of success. It’s the pride of self our egos cling to that separates us from knowing our true relationship with God. And clinging to these trappings, activities, and illusions only moves us further from the peace and joy that are naturally ours.
It’s by our own choice that we live in unhappiness.
This
is because the “world” is actually structured so that we can be happy.There is
only one thing that we need to do to attain it.And this one thing is forgiveness. When we forgive and see everyone else in the world as a valued loveable soul created by God, we begin to learn to chose love over fear. Over time, continuously choosing love releases the blockages we have built that prevent us from having a relationship with our creator. Life gets easier and happiness grows.
Forgiveness: The Key to True Happiness
In my book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness, I provide many easy-to-use processes that help you forgive anybody and any event in your life—past or present. Develop a daily habit of forgiveness, and watch your life transform from fear to love.
Want to go deeper into forgiveness?
Explore how forgiveness reconnects us to divine compassion in Unblocking our Connection to Love. Read it here →
My book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness, offers heartfelt guidance, spiritual tools, and real-life practices. Read it on Amazon → | Barnes & Noble →
Let daily affirmations support you too — discover the Forgiveness Metta Card Deck for a gentle morning practice of peace and release.
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:
How Misunderstanding Leads to Suffering—and How Forgiveness Heals
Adyashanti’s Teachings on Forgiveness
I'm just loving Adyashanti's new book, Resurrecting Jesus. To me, Adyashanti's teachings are universal. Sometimes when I read his words or hear him talk, I think, "He has to be a A Course in Miracles teacher, not a Buddhist." He is a true mystic. In this new book, Adyashanti looks at Jesus's life and teachings from a fresh perspective and I'm finding it all very inspiring.
This morning in my reading I ran across this passage on forgiveness:
"Forgiveness comes from a deep openhearted state of compassion. Really, it comes from our spiritual essence--which I call divine being--because from our spiritual essence there is an understanding of what suffering is all about. From the heart of divine being, what we realize is that everything that causes us pain and sorrow is ultimately born from misunderstanding. It's a type of illusion. When Jesus says "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," this is what he's pointing to. When people are in a state of spiritual clarity--an inner state of psychological, emotional, and spiritual unity--then by the very nature of that unity, they don't act out of ignorance Ignorance is simply a misunderstanding of the fundamental reality, of what we truly are.
When we lose consciousness of our deepest self, our deepest being as divine being itself, then in a sense we go unconscious. Part of us goes to sleep, you might say. Then, we are prone to illusion. We misunderstand things. We think if someone insults us, for example, that we need to respond with anger; we forget that they're just expressing their own inner conflict, their own inner division, which is ultimately based on misunderstanding. The very root of sin, to use Jesus' language, is something that can be forgiven It's forgivable because it's an unconscious act, a result of being spiritually asleep. We can't be blamed for being unconscious, for acting out our unconsciousness, even for feeling the effects of our unconsciousness within our psychology.
Everyone has those days when you feel like you've woken up on the good side of the universe when everything just naturally feels whole and complete, when you're happy and at peace and you don't really know why. When this happens you're more aligned with life, and you naturally go about the day as a much more open person. You're more compassionate and you're more loving because compassion and love are expressions of being internally united. So forgiveness is ultimately an act that comes from that inner unification. One doesn't have to be entirely unified inwardly to forgive. Forgiveness can also come out of the sense of open-heartedness, of understanding that nobody is perfect.
The open heart is compassionate because it maintains an essential connection. But as soon as we separate ourselves from another--as soon as we say, "No there's nothing in you that corresponds with something in me," as soon as we forget that you and I essentially share the same spiritual essence--then we cut ourselves off, and we go into blame. Forgiveness comes from that deep intuition of our sameness, of our shared humanity. That perception starts to lower the walls of defense, and being judgmental is ultimately a defensive game, a way of saying, "I am not like you." To forgive is really a way of saying, "I see something in you that's the same as in me." Then, even though you may be upset, even though the other person may have caused you pain or harm, when you connect with your shared humanity, there's forgiveness."
Try the Forgiveness Metta Cards → Daily reminders for release and renewal. A perfect addition to your altar, journal, or morning meditation. Take a look on Etsy →
Let these tools support your journey — because forgiveness sets you free.
I recently attended a seminar in which Jon Mundy spoke. He mentioned how he is often asked about judgment—how to stop judging others. He reminded me of an old Bob Newhart episode that really puts things into perspective.
Just Stop It! The Power of Simple Advice
In the episode, Newhart’s character, a therapist, tells his patient simply: "Stop it. Just stop it!" It’s hilarious, but also profoundly simple advice that highlights how we often make our judgments more complicated than they need to be. The solution is as simple as Newhart’s character suggests: stop it. Stop the judging and choose to live in peace instead.
A Personal Connection to Bob Newhart
For me, this brought to mind not only the wisdom of Newhart's sketch but also my own personal connection to him. I have always loved Bob Newhart and watched many of his shows in reruns. Interestingly, my sister's first husband's father was the producer for Newhart's show. Bob Newhart’s mild manner always reminded me so much of my own dad, and I could sense his gentle, calm energy, even on-screen.
A Humbling Moment with Bob Newhart
One day, when I was in my early 20s, I was waiting at a stop signal on Hilgard Ave, adjacent to the UCLA campus. As I glanced over at the car idling next to me, I was delighted to see that it was none other than Bob Newhart! He had a small child (probably a granddaughter) in the seat next to him, and as I watched, he wrapped his arm tenderly around her, bending over to listen intently to whatever the child was saying. It was a charming, quiet moment that seemed to capture the essence of Newhart’s calm demeanor in real life.
Letting Go of Judgment: Choosing Peace
This moment, combined with Newhart’s iconic sketch, helped me realize how much judgment complicates our lives. It’s easy to get caught up in judging others, but if we can pause and reflect, we can choose to let go of judgment and replace it with love, peace, and understanding. The simple wisdom of “stop it” is more powerful than we often give it credit for.
So there you have it folks, let's all just stop it. STOP IT!! Stop the judging and live in peace.
Want to go deeper into forgiveness?
Explore how forgiveness reconnects us to divine compassion in Unblocking our Connection to Love. Read it here →
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 →
Let these tools light your path — because forgiveness sets you free.
I'm reading a wonderful book right now by Adyashanti called Resurrecting Jesus, Embodying the spirit of a Revolutionary Mystic. Adyashanti is himself a modern day mystic and his take on Jesus's life and teachings is fresh and beautiful.
This morning I was reading in Resurrecting Jesus about a healing Jesus performed in Mark 2:5. In it, a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus for healing. Jesus simply said to him, "Son, your sins are forgiven." and the man was healed.
What Did “Sin” Originally Mean?
Adyashanti points out that the word sins, at that time, had simpler connotations than they have been given in the following 2,000 years. The original Greek meaning for the word hamartia or sin, was to miss the mark. Another meaning is simply the word flaw. Our current meaning of sin is so much darker and deeper. We think of our sins as being evil and they are strongly attached to feelings of shame and guilt.
What if, instead of thinking of sin as the source of guilt and upset in our lives, we merely choose to see the ways we have missed the mark? After all, we are simply trying to do what it takes to survive and find a few comforts here in our earthly reality, our space and time reality. We all make mistakes here, we misjudge, we miss the mark. We all have flaws. Having a flaw is not inherently evil.
How Divine Presence Heals and Forgives
Adyashanti makes a second point; that the paralytic had to do nothing to be healed by Jesus. He was merely brought into Jesus' presence. "And this is really Jesus's greatest healing power, the power of his presence."
Jesus bestows his forgiveness on people as a kind of healing balm. For a human being to receive true forgiveness is a potent thing. When the forgiveness is authentic, it has a very deep and powerful effect. Sometimes another forgives us, and sometimes we are called to forgive ourselves so that we can move on in a really heartful way. When we repent (repent means to have a change of heart), our sin (missing the mark) is forgiven. Then we are realigned with the wisdom of the unified heart. --Adyashanti
Adyashanti goes on to say:
The healing balm is forgiveness; that's what heals the flaw. That's what allows us to rebalance ourselves, to find our equilibrium-- psychic, emotional and spiritual. That is really what Jesus does: he is righting the person, helping them to quickly find internal balance. When they find balance, when their inner state is unified, the healing takes place.
Jesus Saw the Son, Not the Sin
I really enjoy Adyashanti and I admire what he has to say here, but I think he misses one important point in what Jesus has to say. The first word that Jesus says to this man is Son. Jesus addresses him as Son — not in the sense of ‘young man,’ after all, Jesus himself was only 30 at the time. But rather as Son, Son of God, the Son of God, an essential member and vibrant part of the Sonship.
When Jesus uses the word Son, he is reminding the paralytic of his true identity, and Jesus is raising his own thinking. He doesn't see a poor broken sinner in front of him. Rather, he sees a true Son of God, one whom God created in his own image and whom is loved by God infinitely. This man is just as God created him to be. He is perfect, whole and complete. He is eternal, everywhere and always, unchanging in his true state.
Let Your Forgiveness Mirror the Divine
Let our own forgiveness be as Jesus's. Let us know that everyone misses the mark sometimes. We all have flaws. Let us always be firmly anchored in the presence of the divine which resides in each of us. And finally, let us look deep into the mind of our trespassers and know their deepest truth. They are Sons of God.
Want to go deeper into forgiveness?
Read this posting that explains more on why forgiveness is our best pathway to peace and happiness: Unblocking our Connection to Love
My book, Forgiveness is the Key to Happiness, offers gentle guidance, spiritual reflections, and real-world practices to help you heal, release, and return to peace. Explore the book on Amazon →
Make forgiveness a daily practice. Let the Forgiveness Metta Cards guide you each morning with affirmations and soul-soothing reminders to help you release and bless. A beautiful companion to your journal or meditation time. Take a look on Etsy →
Let these tools support your journey — because forgiveness sets you free. —Sue Pipal
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