Forgiveness is for God and toward God, not of Him. Nothing God created needs forgiveness, as He only creates the perfect. So forgiveness is an illusion -- with a difference. It is used to correct the perceptions of illusions, or misperceptions of the mind, because the purpose of forgiveness is the Holy Spirit's, aimed to lead God's Son away from error instead of toward it. It is the only illusion that does not lead to other illusions. It is the only thing that is in the world in part, and yet the bridge to Heaven.

Forgiveness might be called a kind of "happy fiction"; a way in which the "unknowing" can bridge the gap between their perception and the truth. They cannot go directly from perception to knowledge because they do not think it is their will to do so. To align their will with God's is unthinkable (in the separation) because they fear to lose their autonomy. Thus God appears to be to them (unknowingly) an enemy instead of what He really is. This insane perception of the "unknowing" makes them unwilling merely to rise up and to return to Him in peace. Thus was the idea of forgiveness born.

Forgiveness, then, is an illusion of help because the "unknowing" appear as helpless; it is a Thought of peace because the "unknowing" appear to be in conflict. God knows what His Son needs before he asks. He is not at all concerned with form, but having given the content it is His Will that it be understood -- and that suffices. The form adapts itself to the need; but the content is unchanging -- as eternal as its Creator.

See how this works. You perceive a situation, judge it as real when it is not (it is an illusion, a misperception), you take offense, adopt a grievance, and an entire cycle of events including guilt are established. Therefore something is needed to correct the initial misperception that started the downward spiral of unforgiveness, and to reroute it upward to the truth.

The Son of God must be taught to see that the "offense" never really happened in truth, that the offense was not real -- it was merely a misguided attempt to call for love. It was the reaching out of one brother to another in a call for help, not a call for attack or condemnation. The more misguided the attempt for the call for love, the more desperate the call for love is perceived -- yet the more annoying and irritating it can also be, for those who are bent on seeing it as a disruption of peace, or as an attack.

But for those whose will is aligned with God's Will, the call for love -- regardless of the form in which it appears -- is actually an opportunity to be truly helpful to a brother. This is an opportunity that simply must not be passed by, because it was given to you by the Holy Spirit Himself, because He knows that you are able to help this brother. You were especially selected for this by Him Who knows your heart. Yet do not hasten and rush in to "save" the situation. First, step back and ask Him how you can help this brother. Listen carefully, for what He will tell you will bring the situation to the truth of love, and that is the goal for you both.

Be aware that He may tell you that your brother is not ready for a miracle just yet and to "just do nothing." He may tell you to pray for this brother. And He may tell you to do something more. Yet do whatever He tells you and the peace and joining you will both experience will be well worth the attention you give it. Recognizing a call of love from a brother and helping him to know God's love, even by just being present in the moment, is a holy endeavor of unity. It will help you both grow closer to God and His love.

God's Will is all there is. We can but go from nothingness to everything, from illusion to Heaven. Is this a journey? No, not in truth, for truth is everywhere and goes nowhere. But illusions shift from place to place, and from time to time. The final step is also but a shift. As a perception it is part unreal, yet this part will vanish. What remains is peace eternal and the Will of God.

Wishes come and go, shift and change. Even the wished-for can become unwelcome. That must be so because the ego cannot be at peace. Once it receives what is wished for, another wish, and another and another will come to take its place. And the wishes often contradict each other, making it even more difficult to satisfy the ego. Thus is peace impossible for the ego to reach. But Will is constant, as the gift of God. And what He gives is always like Himself. This is the purpose of the face of Christ which is the symbol of forgiveness and of the real world and it is just one step away from the gate of Heaven. Whoever looks on this no longer sees the world of ego. It is the gift of God to save His Son. Look on this, look on the face of Christ, and you will know you have been forgiven.

How lovely does the world become in just that single instant when you see the truth about yourself reflected there. Now you are sinless and behold your sinlessness. Now you are holy and perceive it to be so. And now the mind returns to its Creator; the joining of the Father and the Son, the Unity of unities that stands behind all joining, but beyond them all. God is not seen but only understood. His Son is not attacked but recognized. Now you are awake and at home -- where GOD IS.