Monday, August 6, 2012

Forgive Yourself For Past Mistakes

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

-- Psalm 32:1-2

What are you holding against yourself? What mistake from your past do you still feel guilty about? What thing keeps rewinding itself in your mind, causing you to mentally beat yourself up -- again -- for something you can’t change?

One of the most difficult things we face is letting go of the past. It haunts us. Satan knows this and uses every opportunity to take advantage of it. He wants us to stay so focused on the past that we can’t do God’s will in the present.

Pastor Rob told us recently that guilt destroys our confidence because we’re always worried about what will happen if somebody finds out. Guilt damages our relationships, causing us to be angry, impatient, overly indulgent with people we love or with ourselves.

He likened it to driving down the road with our head turned and always looking back. We can’t change the past but that past sure can make us sick today.

Pastor Rob suggested that we all take a moral inventory of our lives. Yeah. I think everyone in the congregation squirmed over that one. He told us to sit down alone and write down what is wrong with our lives. Don’t just think about it. Don’t have the television or music blaring. Just sit down with yourself and God.

Ask God to help you and point out what you consciously or unconsciously feel guilty about. Why write it down? Because it forces you to be specific, Pastor Rob explained. Generalities are way easier to deal with than the specifics.

Then Pastor Rob took it a step further. He told us to tell one other person. Share our deepest, darkest mistakes? Seriously? He told us to pick one safe person and tell them what we’re most guilty about. The weight lifted off your soul is amazing. It’s like a small child who did something wrong and is just so relieved when his parents find out and he doesn’t have to hide it anymore.

Be careful though. Not everyone is safe. Don’t tell someone when you know that person is a gossip. Don’t tell a person who is always negative or quick to pass judgment. Find someone mature enough to reflect God’s forgiveness back to you. Maybe a pastor. Maybe an elder in the church. Maybe a dear friend.

Then let it go. Give it to God and accept His forgiveness. God forgives instantly, freely and completely. Think about that, then forgive yourself. The past is the past. Today belongs to you and God. Don’t let Satan take it away from you.