Tag Archives: forgiveness

Blogroll, forgiveness, grace, Growing, life, peace, Uncategorized

Forgive Yourself!

We all make mistakes and sin. Everyone knows the feeling and frustration of failure. But our missing the mark is not the end of us and it is not the end of our lives. The God who created us, loves us and understands us better than we understand ourselves. He has made a way where there wasn’t away. God made a way for us to receive forgiveness and restoration as we learn from our mistakes, sins and failures.

Don’t allow the giant of guilt to beat up on you. Admit your failure, learn from it and receive God’s gift of restoration. If God forgives you, then who do you think you are to not forgive yourself? Forgiveness is making the choice to focus on love and let go of the guilt. It is not always easy, but it is always possible and life changing when we get it right.

The big battle is with our ego, because the ego tells me that I am what I have, what I do or what I think others think of me, so the continual temptation is to look down on or belittle others, at least in our mind, so we can feel better about ourselves, but when we do this, we can’t help but to bring the same conviction into our own lives. This game of judgment backfires and catches us in it’s flames.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” -Matthew 7:1-3

Fight against the temptation to judge yourself or others. Stop finding fault and start looking for what you and others are doing right. Focus on the good and the good will grow. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in self defeating trap of criticism and condemnation.

When I look for the light in others, I cannot help but to be reminded of the light in myself, which helps me to realize that it is through forgiveness that we receive peace and in peace we find true freedom…

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Blogroll, forgiveness, Growing, personal growth, self help, spiritual enlightenment, Uncategorized

Forgive, Let Go And Be Free!

I know it is probably hard for you to believe, but I have had a few folks in my life that have done me wrong. Live long enough and you will be lied to, taken advantage of and possibly left on the side of the road of life with nothing to show for any of it, but a demolished heart and a broken spirit. Most all of us have people in our life, who have done us wrong and really don’t deserve our forgiveness, but forgiveness is not just about the other person it is also about you and me.

People will come and go in your life. If you are blessed and you are, then some of them will stay and be a great asset and blessing. Some will leave, take parts of you with them and it will hurt more than words could ever describe. Not everyone you meet is going to be kind to you. Not everyone is interested in what you think or how you feel. Some of the very people you bless with mercy and grace, will turn around and slap you with pnishment and judgement, but you will survive and if you can learn to forgive, you will ultimatly thrive.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave I to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” -Romans 12:18-21

Live life long enough and you will experience betrayal and it will devestate you, but I can promise you that it is not the end of your life. It will end up being an opportunity to learn and grow. And how do we grow from the things that hurt us so deeply? We practice forgiveness! I said practice, because if we want to get good at something, then we have to practice. When we forgive, we let it go and it probably benefits us more than it does the person we are forgiving, because it sets us free from all the negativity that has been eating away at us.

To forgive does not mean that you approve of what happened, it just means that you are a big enough person to learn from it and grow into the Spirit, God created you to be. It is the realization that there are things in your life, that are not for you to fix, but for you to release to your Creator, so that God might show you faithfulness.

Forgive those who have wronged you, look for their innocence and in the process you will discover your own and experience a freedom unlike anything you’ve ever dreamed of…

Blogroll, forgiveness, peace, Uncategorized

There Is No Peace Without Forgiveness!

Several years ago, I can remember sitting on the front steps of our home and thinking: “All I really want is peace!” You can have a nice home, fancy cars, stylish clothes, cool toys, be surrounded by friends and have what you call meaningful relationships, but if you don’t have peace, it is really all just a waste. I set out on a journey that day to find it for myself and through a series of valley and mountain top experiences, I can finally say I am closer than I’ve ever been.

The key to peace is forgiveness. We cannot have peace without forgiveness. We have to forgive others and we also have to forgive ourselves. The Scriptures teach us that God, our Creator forgives us for our sins and failures. And yet even with this amazing truth in our head, it has no real power until we believe it and accept it into our heart. We are forgiven, but we must accept the forgiveness in order for it to have any real impact upon our life and spirit.

And if God in His perfection can forgive our imperfection, then we should be able to forgive ourselves and others. To not forgive others only hurts us and keeps us in a prison of our own making. Some people say: “Well, I’ll forgive the when they ask me to forgive them!” And the problem with that, is that they may never ask. You have the power to forgive, let go and move forward without their asking. Just do it, because that is what God has done for you.

Now let’s think for a moment about forgiving ourselves, which is actually probably one of the hardest things for us to do. We think I am not worthy, I could never deserve it and make up a thousand other excuses, but the truth is we think we know better than God. If God has forgiven us, then who do we think we are to not forgive ourselves???

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9

Remember: There is no peace with out forgiveness. Forgiveness is key to our experiencing the gift of peace. The God of love created us in love and for love and our mistakes do not un-create the love in which we were created. It is true, we make mistakes, commit sin and miss the mark, but when we accept God gift of grace and mercy, His love releases from the consequences of our indiscretion and into the amazing gift of His peace.