So let's say you've done something wrong. (Of course, you and I are perfect, so this is strictly academic.) And let's say you've just recognized what you've done and are living in that moment between realization and resolution. You're not sure what to say or do to make things better... if that's even possible.
Does the Bible talk of this state of being? It's one we rarely talk about except quietly to ourselves. Many people I know (including me) are exceptionally talented at playing such scenes over and over in our heads, but to what advantage? If I'm able to come to a healthier conclusion about how to categorize my actions or react to them, it would seem this is a wonderful exercise, but so often that's not the case.
What do you do when you find yourself in this place? I suppose it depends on the circumstances, but maybe a little public discussion about this is in order. When this happens to me (all too often, it seems) lately I've been trying to find a balance - that delicate balance - trying not to feel awful and unforgivable without letting myself off "the hook" too easily. It's tough, but I have to wonder aloud if it's not a fairly universal experience. It seems easier for me to forgive others than to forgive myself. Even though sometimes I'm as hard on other people as I am myself, I'm able to let go of my judgement of others more easily.
Maybe it comes down to this: How easily should we forgive ourselves?
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2 comments:
If we won't forgive ourselves when Christ will and does, what statement does that make?
If we say we shouldn't be forgiven, but Yeshua says we should, what role are we giving ourselves? Is it our place to contradict the Savior?
There is forgiving, and then there is forgetting. Some of the most important lessons I've had in this life have come via some pretty terrible mistakes. I suggest that we can't truly learn from our mistakes UNTIL we are able to forgive ourselves for them. Until then they are simply too clouded by shame and guilt to provide very much meaningful guidance.
The struggle to forgive is often born out of some sense that you "should have" done better, but didn't. However (and without getting too cavalier about it) if you approach the situation as one with a fallen nature, to whom mistakes and errors are essentially inevitable, perhaps that makes accepting them somewhat easier.
I once heard a saying that God will never get disillusioned with us, because He never had any illusions about us in the first place!
Nicely said.
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