What Is a Grievance?
Thomas Fox - Lake Cumberland, Kentucky
Students of A Course in Miracles quickly discover that certain words are used with a particular meaning. One of the most important of these words is “grievance.” It shows up only once in the Text—in a discussion of shadow figures from the past in Chapter 17—but then it becomes the focus of fourteen consecutive Workbook lessons (68–81). The Course wants us to pause and reflect deeply on this concept.
What, then, is a grievance in Course terms?
A grievance isn’t just a complaint or a grudge. It’s a shield against love—a way the ego blocks miracles and keeps us in darkness.“Each grievance stands like a dark shield of hate . . . .”
Grievances can look like anger or resentment, but they can also hide behind fatigue, depression, or even sickness. The Course explains that “to hold a grievance is to forget who you are” (W-68.1:2). Every grievance is really a memory of separation projected onto the present—what the Text calls “shadow figures” from the past.
The practice to remove these barriers to awareness is simple: notice your grievance, however small, and ask to see your brother as your friend instead of your enemy. Every grievance conceals a miracle. Forgiveness releases the past and lets the light shine again.
Grievance as a Shield Against Love
The Workbook tells us plainly:
“Each grievance stands like a dark shield of hate before the miracle it would conceal, and as you raise it up before your eyes, you will not see the miracle beyond.” (W-78.1:2)
Here, a grievance is not simply a complaint, nor even just a grudge. It is a psychological shield. It keeps love, forgiveness, and miracles at bay. We raise the shield whenever we prefer anger, judgment, or fear instead of the quiet peace of God.
The Course insists that grievances are always a choice. They are not imposed on us by circumstances. They are the ego’s way of saying: “I would rather be right than happy.”
Grievances Hide the Light
Several of the grievance lessons emphasize that grievances obscure our natural radiance.
“Grievances hide the light of the world in me. Grievances show me what is not there, and hide from me what I would see.” (W-69.1:2-3)
“Love holds no grievances. When I let all my grievances go I will know I am perfectly safe.” (W-68.6:4)
When we hold a grievance, we are effectively saying: “I would prefer darkness over light.” The ego insists that our anger or resentment is justified, but the real cost is our peace of mind. To forgive is not to condone the behavior of another; it is to refuse to let our perception be blocked by the dark shield of hate.
Grievance as an Identity Crisis
Grievances also define who we think we are. In Lesson 68 we read:
“To hold a grievance is to forget who you are. To hold a grievance is to see yourself as a body. To hold a grievance is to let the ego rule your mind and to condemn the body to death.” (W-68.1:2-4)
Strong language! But the point is clear: when we clutch a grievance, we reinforce the idea that we are vulnerable bodies, subject to harm, and destined to die. The grievance becomes evidence for the ego’s case: “See, you are weak, attacked, and justified in your anger.”
Grievances and God’s Plan for Salvation
The Course also frames grievances as an obstacle to recognizing that salvation is already accomplished. Lesson 72 says:
“What is the ego’s plan for salvation? It is, in short, to have you see error clearly first, and then overlook it. Yet how can you overlook what you have made real?” (W-72.1:2-3)
The ego tells us salvation lies in holding grievances, finding fault, proving we have been wronged. God’s plan, in contrast, is the opposite:
“Love holds no grievances. Grievances are completely alien to love. Grievances attack love and keep its light obscure.” (W-68.2:1-3)
Thus, every grievance is really a vote against salvation. And every forgiveness is an affirmation that salvation is already here.
Shadow People and the Past
The Text offers an important nuance when it describes “shadow figures,” which are really grievances carried forward from the past.
“Whatever reminds you of your past grievances, no matter how distorted the associations by which you arrive at the remembrance may be, attracts you and seems to you to go by the name of love.” (T-17.16.5)
In other words, grievances are not only about present hurts. They are often ghosts from memory, shadow people we carry with us and project onto others. Someone’s voice, gesture, or even their appearance may unconsciously trigger a grievance. We say, “I don’t know why, but there’s something about that guy I don’t trust.” The Course explains: you are seeing a shadow from your past, not the brother who stands before you.
Forgiveness, therefore, requires letting go not only of obvious anger but also of these subtle, unconscious projections.
Grievance and the Body
Another way grievances express themselves is through the body. The Course says:
“Sickness is anger taken out upon the body, so that it will suffer pain.” (T-28.VI.5:1)
Illness can function as a physical grievance, dramatizing separation: “Look at what you (or life, or God) have done to me.” Fatigue, depression, or other forms of suffering can all be masks for grievances, even if they do not feel like anger in the usual sense. They are grievances because they testify that the Son of God is weak, guilty, and harmed.
Grievances vs. Miracles
Perhaps the most striking definition comes in Lesson 78:
“Each decision that you make is one between a grievance and a miracle. Each grievance stands like a dark shield of hate before the miracle it would conceal.” (W-78.1:1-2)
This sets up the polarity clearly: every moment we either hold a grievance or allow a miracle. There is no middle ground. Grievances keep us locked in separation, while miracles restore our awareness of unity.
A Practical Exercise
The Course’s practice is simple but profound:
Identify someone against whom you hold a grievance, however small.
Realize that this grievance is keeping you from knowing who you are.
Ask to see the brother as a friend and savior instead of an enemy.
Lesson 68 puts it beautifully:
“I would see you as my friend, that I may remember you are part of me and come to know myself.” (W-68.6:3)
Conclusion: Forgiveness Is the Answer
So what is a grievance? In A Course in Miracles, a grievance is not just resentment, but any thought of separation that blocks love, projects guilt, and sustains the ego’s false plan for salvation. It may take the form of anger, suspicion, fatigue, depression, or even illness. It may be obvious or subtle, conscious or unconscious.
But the solution is always the same: forgiveness.
“Love holds no grievances. I would awake to my Self by laying all my grievances aside and wakening in Him.” (W-84.1:5)
Every grievance conceals a miracle. To forgive is to lower the shield, release the shadow figures, and let the light of the world shine once again in us.