“Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so
that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” - 2 Corinthians 2:7
If you have a hard time
feeling joy in your heart, the first place to check is your attitude toward
yourself and others. If you are harboring unforgiveness toward yourself or
someone else, there is a root of bitterness that is sucking all the life right
out of your soul – your mind, will and emotions. Sometimes it is easier to
forgive others than it is to forgive our self. However, the same principles in
God's Word concerning our responsibility to forgive others apply to forgiving
our self as well.
How do we forgive our self?
First, we realize that God created us as imperfect human beings. We all have
faults and make mistakes and are full of weaknesses, fears and insecurities of
one type or another - even if you think that you are the exception to this
fact. There is also another concept to consider. We need to ask forgiveness
from our self and those we harmed in either word or deed, even if our
transgression was not intentional?
The second idea to accept is Christ's sacrifice on the cross for YOUR sins. Let go of the anger you feel toward yourself and others (1 John 1:9). God forgives our wickedness and remembers our sins no more (Colossians 3: 13). He actually casts our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). This is endless forgiveness. He remembers it NO MORE (Matthew 6: 12)! We rarely forget as God does, but we can follow God’s example to forgive.
Your past failures, errors
and mistakes are just that…an oversight. Even if you did something
intentionally, it is still forgivable. If you are serving a sentence in prison
for your action, God still forgives you. So, forgive your self. There is no sin
heinous enough that God will not forgive it. If He forgives, who are you to
hold a grudge toward your self or someone else?
There is no way we can truly
love others if we do not first love God and then our self (Luke 10: 27).
Forgive and comfort others (and yourself), so that the offender will not be
overwhelmed by excessive sorrow (2 Corinthians 2:7). When we have a festering
wound in our soul, which we keep from the revitalizing power of God's healing,
we suffer in so many ways. Stress, panic attacks, loss of sleep, inner chaos,
grouchiness and strained relationships with others can all be signs of
unforgiveness within us. We also run the risk of self-destructive behaviors. We
can seek revenge toward our self in subtle ways that we do not even realize.
If you catch yourself
getting angry with yourself or feeling self-hatred or blaming yourself, even if
you call yourself names at times, this is a signal of unforgiveness. Cynical
and distant conduct with others, pessimism, general negativity and a lack of
spiritual growth can be indicators too. The overwhelming fear of failure, of
making new mistakes, of rejection, of the lack of approval from others and of
being hurt again will contribute to our hesitation to forgive.
Acts 13:38 states, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything
against anyone (even yourself), forgive him (yourself), so that your Father in
heaven may forgive you your sins."
We are so blessed that our transgressions are forgiven and our
sins are covered. The Lord will never count our sin against us, once it is
repented of and forgiven (2 Corinthians 2: 7-8).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to
replace self-rejection by remembering that even in our failures You already
forgave us 2000 years ago. You took from us the burden of guilt for our actions
and nailed it to the cross. You already knew about and forgave us for what we
have done. Help us to let go of our need to make up for our transgressions.
Help us to stop punishing our self and to forgive as You readily forgive us.
Thought for the Day:
Jesus already paid the price
for your mistakes and your vile actions…all of them.