Do you have trouble forgiving yourself? My husband Larry talks about how to forgive yourself and shows why it is important. Here’s Larry.
We’ve heard, forgiveness is divine. Forgiveness removes the burden of guilt and relieves the hurt from being wronged. Yet, I find many overlook a type of forgiveness which is essential—the choice to forgive ourselves.
A young man who battled a sexual addiction told me he carried shame from what he’d done and who he’d become. He believed God had forgiven him, yet he hadn’t forgiven himself. Because of this, he carried his past with him which weakened him in his battle against current temptations (Heb. 12:1-2).
Forgiveness removes guilt and relieves the hurt from being wronged. Yet, many of us overlook the choice to #forgive ourselves. #RefreshingFaith Click To TweetHow can we forgive ourselves and expunge our regrets?
- Get God’s Forgiveness. When I confess my wrong to God and decide to do differently, I experience God’s complete forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9). Forgiveness from God gives me a new start and the capacity and authority to forgive others including myself. I can’t pass on what I haven’t received.
. - Give Yourself Forgiveness. I know people who call themselves stupid. Whether out loud or internally, what we tell ourselves makes a difference (2 Cor. 10:5). We need to tell ourselves biblical truth which builds us up and brings us closer to God (Eph. 3:29, 4:15, 16).
One day, memories of a personal regret taunted me. I’d confessed it all in the past to God. I knew He forgave me, yet unwelcome memories returned. I felt prompted to say, “Larry, I forgive you for that incident.”
Something unusual happened. Lightness filled me, and now I’ve even forgotten what the incident was. I forgave myself as God forgave me. (Col. 3:13, Jn. 20:23). Recently, the man who’d carried shame told me he’d forgiven himself. He was delighted and surprised to find the pull to sin dissipated when he did.
If we can help you in this area or any other challenging area or relationship, we’re here for you. You are important to God and to us.
Blessings,
Update
- Young adults with relationship problems are learning about Christ and how to be prudently strong with others.
- A father is learning how to have family devotions and shepherd his family.
- Separated couples are discovering how to love and re-unite.
Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash
Sometimes I link with these great sites:
#InstaEncouraements, #TellHisStory #Recharge Wednesday, #WorthBeyondRubies #TuneinThursaday, #Grace&Truth,
Great thoughts Mr. Larry; thank you as always for your insights and inspiration sir.
Thank you, J.D. Hope your are doing well.
I’ve been wanting to write a book about forgiving ourselves. This has prompted me to begin. Thank you. Great message.
Wow, that is wonderful, Melissa!
Sometimes forgiving ourselves is the most difficult of all.
I agree. It certainly can be. And yet to not forgive ourselves is to put our judgment over God’s. Thanks, Ann!
Sometimes we can have more difficulty forgiving ourselves than we do with forgiving others. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading, Barbara!
Self-forgiveness is something I’ve struggled with–and still do. Great post! God bless!
Nancy, I think we all can struggle with this. And our enemy heaps condemnation on us. Recognizing the attacks of the world, the flesh and the devil can help us win that battle.
So true, we cannot truly move on until we are able to forgive ourselves – thank you for sharing a great reminder!
Thank you, Sharon!
These are great thoughts. I never really considered how much our lack of forgiving ourselves can impact our ability to withstand a current sin’s draw. Thank you for this insight.
I don’t think I had either. Thank you, Jeanne!
My son struggling with forgiveness. He can’t forgive himself. Please pray.
Thank you
Janet, perhaps hearing how it helped in this article will encourage him to take that step. I pray it will.
I think of forgiving myself as actually believing that God has forgiven me in my heart instead of just agreeing in my head that God forgives in general. Thanks for the reminder to let myself off the hook for forgiveness too.
Joanna, I like that perspective.