Let One Thing Go ~ Practicing True Forgiveness
Dec 20, 2025
The first step in the True Forgiveness process is to become aware that you are taking the ego seriously. To recognize you are taking the ego seriously, you simply need to pay attention to how you feel. If you are upset to any degree, mildly or extremely, you are taking the ego seriously and it is this which needs to be corrected.
What is important to recognize is how often you are not at peace.
Along with noticing how you feel, you can also pay attention to the quality of your thoughts.
I encourage you to bring gentle reflection upon your current state of mind. Is there a thought you keep trying to avoid looking at? Is there a past situation you keep ruminating upon? Or do you keep replaying an upsetting conversation?
When you don't forgive your investment in ego thoughts, you carry them around and maintain them. And because you maintain ego thoughts, you experience suffering and your suffering is also exacerbated.
There is a teaching from the late ACIM teacher, Kenneth Wapnick, which helps us understand the ego dynamic beneath the scenes of our daily lives. Kenneth pointed out that through taking the ego seriously, we experience ourselves as sinful, guilty and fearful. Specifically, Kenneth outlined that sin is of the past, where we think we did something wrong. That something wrong would be taking the tiny, mad idea of thinking we left God, seriously. And because of this, we believe we are sinful.
Following the idea we are sinful is the feeling of guilt - a guilt we feel in the present. This guilt is not always so obviously guilt but it is still the deeper disturbance ruminating in your psyche. And due to the discomfort of this guilt, you project out resposbility for it. In so doing, you essentially blame others, the world, God, or circumstances for why you are upset. Thinking your problem is outside of you is an ego ploy to keep you looking outside of yourself so you fail to recognize the real reason why you are upset which is that you have taken the ego seriously. In avoiding responsbility for why you are upset, the ego survives that much longer through your belief in it. All of this keeps the idea you are sinful and the feeling of guilt, intact.
Guilt being projected out is always just an attempt and you are actually never really successful at doing it because the guilt remains with you until you correct it through True Forgiveness. This is why even when you think you got rid of the guilt, you somehow end up feeling fearful. Kenneth further highlighted that fear is always about the future and really speaks to a fear of an impending punishment by God over your taking the tiny, mad idea seriously. You don't really recognize this is what you are actually fearful about, but it is the deeper reason why you experience fear.
So, this is the inner dynamic ruminating in the depths of your mind. And when you take an ego thought seriously and fail to correct it through True Forgiveness, you keep the idea that you are sinful and guilty, alive in your mind. The result is you then feel fearful.
To experience relief from this ego dynamic, you must begin to apply True Forgiveness.
Without correcting the thought, you mentally carry it around with you - all day, all night and into your sleep. And the unforgiven thought will be there to greet you in the morning. This need not be. You can begin to let these ego thoughts go.
Having a clearer picture of what you are holding onto when you fail to forgive gives you motivation to do your True Forgiveness work. If you are struggling with applying True Forgiveness, I encourage you to begin with something which you feel mildly upset by. Begin by letting one thing go.
As you practice letting one thing go, it will be easier to let one more thing go. And as you develop a habit of True Forgiveness, you begin to notice when you don't do it. Can you believe that True Forgiveness can become your natural reaction to any upset? That is a wonderful inevitability for us all!
So, what's one thing you are ready to let go of? What's one ego story you are tired of? What challenge keeps repeating and is begging for your attention to correct it?
More importantly, what awaits you on the other side of your ego stories and grievances?
The literal peace of God awaits you. Your True Identity as innocent Spirit awaits your recognition. Your remembrance of Home is there, deep in your Mind, awaiting for you to return.
If you need more help understanding True Forgiveness, here are the links to a couple of podcasts I have done on the topic which include guidance through the actual True Forgiveness process!
Foundations of True Forgiveness
I truly hope this is helpful for you!
Lots of Love!
Fiona XO
