Not forgiving myself for my unwise teenage decisions could
have changed my future.
At twelve, my future appeared bright. Dad was a preacher, and I
intended to follow in his footsteps. Perhaps I would do it part-time because I
also felt God wanted me to teach on the college or seminary level. Either way,
I knew where I was headed, or so I thought. Satan knew, too. He slithered in during
my teen years and convinced me he had a better plan. Like a starving catfish, I
took the bait. Although I finally got back on God’s track, a part of which
included forgiving myself for my foolish and sinful actions, I wasted quite a
few years.
Peter was in a similar boat. Denying three times that he knew
Christ was more than just a small slip-up. I’m sure he regularly beat himself
up on the inside. Perhaps that’s why the angel singled him out when he instructed the women to tell the disciples that Jesus was alive and would meet them in Galilee.
Satan loves nothing better than to witness a defeated
Christian. God forgives all our sins when we accept Christ as our Savior, but his forgiveness doesn’t make us perfect. Dwelling on what we’ve done and refusing to
forgive ourselves sets us up for a life of wasting the gifts God has given us. And
Satan loves every minute of watching us wallow in self-pity. God is a holy God,
but if he can forgive our sinful foibles, we must learn to forgive ourselves.
When we fail to forgive ourselves, we limit God’s power in our lives. God is perfectly able to work all things together for our good and his
glory, our mistakes included, but we must accept his forgiveness, forgive ourselves,
and move on. Rather than allowing our mistakes to chain us, we can use them to
help others who may be struggling with similar issues.
Refusing to forgive ourselves is, after all, illogical. Our sin
offends a holy God, but if he can forgive me, who am I not to forgive myself?
Failing to forgive ourselves is requiring more of us than God does—and he makes
the rules.
Don’t let refusing to forgive yourself hold you back from
God’s plan for your life.
Father, enable me to forgive myself just as you have forgiven me, so I can move on with your plan.
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