“When we judge someone, we don’t see them for who they are. We see them as we’ve imagined them through our lens of judgment. It’s a false image of who they really are, and if we only look for the bad in someone, that’s what we’re likely to find.”
Source: Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side
“It may seem impossible to forgive him for these hideous crimes, but it’s easier if we separate the criminal and the crime. We can forgive the criminal and still hold him accountable for his crime.”
Source: Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side
“I had written all I was going to write, if the truth had been known, and there is nothing wrong with that. If more writers knew that, the world would be saved a lot of bad books, and more people--men and women alike--could go on to happier, more productive lives.”
Source: The Sportswriter
“Sometimes people wait their entire life to find the courage to ask for forgiveness, but it’s never too late. Doing so helps us resolve our guilt toward the person we hurt, and it also helps resolve our misgivings toward those who hurt us. If we do that, the misgivings and guilt won’t follow us when we cross over,” Shane said. “And forgiving ourselves makes it easier to forgive others because when we refuse to forgive ourselves, we also refuse to forgive others—it’s two sides of the same coin.”
Source: Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side
“It’s easy to throw judgment at someone who’s struggling down a difficult path, but walking that road is altogether a different thing.”
“It seems that we’ve all been wrongfully judged, and every time it’s happened to me, I’ve thought that if the other person only took the time to understand the situation from my perspective, they would no longer judge me the same way. Unfortunately, I’ve also wrongfully judged others,” Hazel admitted, regret in her eyes. “It’s easy to throw judgment at someone who’s struggling down a difficult path, but walking that road is altogether a different thing.”
“Empathy is the cure for judgment, and not judging leads to forgiveness.”
Source: Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side
“You know, the ego is very insecure. . . . It uses judgment as armor to protect itself. The ego judges others to shield itself from its own insecurities, which are based on fear. The ego, needing to be special, feeds on constant approval and needs enemies in order to be superior—it raises itself up by putting others down. . . . In other words, by judging others,” Ethel explained, gathering the ingredients for piecrust. “People have a never-ending fear-based dialogue with their egos, which is a source of much unhappiness. They’re afraid of not being good enough, being wrong, not being in control, losing their possessions, being shamed, being judged, not being smart enough, being ugly, being rejected, being destitute, being old and alone. And ultimately, they’re afraid of dying.”
Source: Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side
“First, and most importantly, a person must recognize their opponents: ego, fear, and judgment. Otherwise, those opponents remain in control. But once a person is aware of their opponents, they can disengage and step aside. Simply acknowledging these behaviors sets them off-balance and facilitates their fall.”
Source: Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side
“Nothing can divide us, not even death!”
Source: Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side