How to Forgive Self

How to forgive self? was the question.

The major thing is to be humble enough to forgive yourself. It would only be pride that would refuse to forgive yourself. At least that’s what it would be for me.

Pride says, “I should have done better” or “I should never have done that” but humility says, “I’m nothing. I can’t do anything right and never will. My only hope lies in God’s grace of forgiveness.”

So it’s a simple choice, but it’s also a realization of who I am. I am dust.

I remember someone saying, “God has no expectations of you, only of Himself.”  So I depend on God’s life within me. The scripture says, “Blessed are the poor… for they shall inherit the kingdom. Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5).  (Related Article The Blessed Poor)

How to forgive self? He taught me early on that if I didn’t forgive myself for my offenses against me, it would be the same as if I didn’t forgive you and I would bear the penalty.  (Related Teaching Not Shamed)

So in essence, He appealed to my selfishness when He told me that I didn’t have an option to forgive me. I had to in order to live with God and to live with myself.  And the Lord gives us situations where we are exposed to our personal unforgiveness.

And it’s a wonderful thing, a freeing thing to be humble enough and low enough and broken enough to just live in His forgiveness – to live in the awareness and the joy of that reconciliation. I want the heavens opened, and they’re open when I forgive everyone… including me.