Naomi Judd: Exclusive Interview – On Forgiveness
OMTimes: How has your spirituality helped you move through your past?
Naomi Judd: God is my higher power. I don’t participate in religion. Too many times religion is divisive. It’s an institution that says my God is better than your God and you can’t go to heaven if you practice this or believe that.
My God is the God of my understanding, the ultimate love of the universe. I have no idea how to define God. I just know that it is the ultimate in acceptance and love.
And I would encourage people to open up their way of thinking about their origin and implicit in that is self acceptance.
OMTimes: Why exactly is self acceptance for you?
Naomi Judd: Right now I’m going through panic attacks and their hideous. I do suffer from depression. Self-acceptance is still a struggle for me.
I’ve had to struggle along like everyone else. Everything that has happened to me has brought me to the level of consciousness that I have today.
I know there is a message in there and I haven’t defined it. I haven’t been able to face it yet. All I know I’m trying every minute. I am trying to stay in a state of grace, open and willing.
About the Interviewer
Shawne Duperon is the founder of the Project: Forgive Foundation, a non-partisan, non-religious organization that promotes forgiveness and collaboration as a leadership tool in high schools and business.
Join Shawne and Naomi on May 14 when they participate in an event on authentic forgiving, live-streaming on PBS.
