Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
— Psalm 37:5 (NLT)
There is one last aspect of forgiveness that I want to address. We’ve all been hurt by someone, and for our own good it is necessary that we forgive that person or people. Hopefully, the past devotionals are helping you do that.
Now I want to mention another person you must forgive – yourself. Sometimes this is the hardest.
When we become aware of something we did or said that hurt a person close to us, sometimes we begin to beat ourselves up. We see ourselves as a rotten person and therefore, don’t think we deserve forgiveness. After all, we should have known better – done better – never messed up like that. Every time we think of what we said or did, we start belittling ourselves. We have decided not to extend mercy to “me”.
However, if I don’t forgive myself, I am planting the wrong seed and I will reap what I sow. I do it to myself. God tells me that in order to move forward, I must forgive myself because He holds nothing against me. Jesus took all my wrongness on the cross, then into the grave. He left it there – dead. After that, Jesus rose from the grave, clean and free. He did that so you and I could be clean and free, but I have to accept it.
The reason I chose the above verse is that when I commit my way to the Lord, I am saying I will do what he says and one of the things he says is to forgive – myself included. We feel so badly and wish we could change the situation, but it’s done. Instead of putting all the attention on me and what I did, I make a choice to focus on the goodness of God. He forgives me and does not condemn me. (Romans 8:1) So I choose to forgive myself.
I am not saying this is easy, but when we don’t forgive ourselves, we are disobeying God. By beating yourself up, you are not “paying” in some way for what you did. You can never do enough to pay for your wrongs. The good news is you don’t have to because Jesus paid for your mistakes on the cross. You make amends when you need to and then you put it behind you. When you feel remorse, send that feeling away, put it off and put on forgiveness for yourself. It is a gift from God. One that you must not only give to others, but you must give it to yourself in order to live in joy and peace. God’s way is the right way!
Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death”.
Only you can do this. No one can do it for you. There is no condemnation. God sees you as forgiven, so forgive yourself and move forward. Plant that good seed.
“The Sea of Forgetfulness is a no-fishing zone”
Forgiveness Is Freedom