How to Use “A Course in Miracles” in Everyday Life

It’s All About Forgiveness

So much of A Course in Miracles centers on metaphysics, which proposes an explanation for our life experiences, time, space, and the very cosmos itself. Positing that the world and the universe are dreams. Our dreams function as a distraction from our truth and reality of oneness with God. Evidently, the Course serves as spiritual literature ripe for contemplation, reflection, and meditation.

This is all great and, for followers of the Course, provides a framework to make sense of life, the challenges we experience, and the opportunities to change our thinking so that we can position ourselves in alignment with love and light.

Yet, the practicality of this information and the lens offered is often lost. At more than 1,000 pages, studying the Course can be daunting. The language is complex and offputting for many. Indeed, the Course is not for everyone.

Nonetheless, the Course does share a very practical way of life. In fact, some may consider this to be the core message and tenet of the Course. By the time we reach the conclusion of the Text, Workbook, and Manual for Teachers, we come to appreciate that the emphasis is not on acquiring or generating our warehouse of knowledge but rather on learning how to live and how we can navigate through this world with a greater sense of love and peace.

Over and over again, the Course returns to the theme of forgiveness. Now, this lens on forgiveness does not suggest a blanket allowing others (or ourselves) to do as we wish without concern for the ethic of doing good.

Forgiveness is constructed as the conscious and intentional outlook that nothing in this world can change or alter the truth of the self that one is a child of God and one with God. No matter what anyone says or does, this fundamental truth is unalterable.

When we forgive, we acknowledge this truth about ourselves and others. We don’t deny the negative actions or words of others. We don’t deny the harm we have caused. We take stock of this, seek repentance, and move past this pain. With forgiveness, we are denying the power of negativity and the harmful words and actions of others to have an effect on us in the here and now. It is a form of overlooking. We choose to overlook that which ultimately does nothing to the truth of who we are.

In many ways, the Course is a call to engage and practice forgiveness continuously. We forgive the body for growing old, for illness, and for death. We forgive all those situations that cause us stress and strife. We forgive workplaces and professional environments that counter our interests and workstyles or inhibit our greater talents and creativity. We choose to forgive the people we love because we want to recognize and focus on the good and the beauty they bring into our lives. We elect to forgive our enemies because we want inner peace and know that holding onto our grievances will only lead to resentment in our minds and hearts.

Forgiveness is the key to happiness. It is the ultimate letting go. It is not permission to tolerate pain, abuse, suffering, or oppression of any kind. It means we honor ourselves and our truth by choosing to do what is best for ourselves, saying no when we have to, and moving past the shame, guilt, or misery the words and actions of others elicit. We forgive because it is a shift into the divine and a step away from hell and into heaven.

So, as you go about your day, be it a regular work day, a holiday, a day off, or a special momentous occasion, practice forgiving yourself and forgiving others. Letting go and letting God is a fantastic way of living and thinking. We can put aside all the stuff that tears at our minds and hearts (the junk of this world) and grow as happier, healthier, and freer spiritual beings.

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Have a great week, everyone.