FORGIVE YOURSELF

It’s been a very busy school week, but also a good one for me because I had the chance to have a very interesting conversation with my friend.

We shared our thoughts on a story we heard from our professor. He had a friend who was easily angered by people who didn’t do the right thing. However, he later found himself in a situation where he had to speak to these same people at a gathering—but he couldn’t. The reason? He couldn’t forgive himself.

Though he was a follower of Christ, his attitude toward these people didn’t reflect Christ’s character. When the opportunity came for him to invite them to a fellowship program, he was unable to do so because of how he had treated them in the past.

Hearing this story, most people might just say, “Be kind to people; you don’t know when you’ll need them.” But it was more than that.

You see, he couldn’t function properly in his calling. He couldn’t do what he was supposed to do because he hadn’t forgiven himself.

Now, let’s dive into the Bible.

Take a look at Paul’s life. Do you know that Paul’s ability to function in his calling was largely based on his ability to forgive himself?

I began to understand Paul—the man who had blood on his hands—and the courage it took for him to forgive himself. If he had chosen not to, he would have had God’s forgiveness but still failed to fulfill his destiny. He would have lived and died in pain and regret.

I may not know you, what you’ve done, or how bad it is. But I do know this: you need to let it go today. You are still everything beautiful that God says you are, and He still wants to use you.

You’ve spent too much time hating yourself. It’s time to forgive yourself and move past it. There is a beautiful life ahead of you and important work to do for God’s kingdom.

So, extend grace to yourself. And if you feel like you don’t deserve it, that’s okay. By definition, grace is undeserved kindness.

I hope this has blessed you.

Our blog post for the week is on its way and will be published on Saturday. Stop by and read it!

God bless you all.