Forgive Yourself: God Wants You to Let Go of Your Past and Live Your Life
Written by Karla Downing
Are you struggling with forgiving yourself for things you have done and haven't done? Many people have more trouble forgiving themselves than other people. It can be especially hard when the consequences of your actions have hurt others and there is no way to remove them.
King David gave us a beautiful example of letting go of our mistakes. In 2 Samuel 11-12, David was struggling with God's message to him that his son conceived in adultery with Bathsheba would die. He was distraught, refused to eat, and secluded himself to pray and plead with God to spare his son. When the son actually died, the servants were afraid to tell David because they didn't know if he could bear it, as he was already so upset. When they told him, David did something surprising: he got dressed, came out, and ate. He explained his actions by saying he couldn't do anything more to save his son and now had to live his life.
That is exactly what you need to do. Accept that you did the best you could with the abilities and awareness you had at the time, accept that you cannot change the past, and recognize that it is your responsibility to live your life to the best of your ability today. When you look back at your past with the insight, maturity, and knowledge you have today, you probably would have made a different choice if you were the person you are today, but you weren't.
The promise that you have from the Lord is that your mistakes can be used for your good and God's glory. Look for ways for God to redeem your past. God wants you to forgive yourself and let go of your past so you can live your life free from its burden. God has forgiven you. Can you make a decision to forgive yourself?
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