Dr. Bill’s Easter sermon inspired an interesting thought – Jesus went through quite a bit to make sure we were forgiven & washed clean of sin and he would really appreciate it if we would honor that sacrifice by forgiving ourselves.
Think about it this way….. your child breaks a lamp and they feel terrible about it. You reassure them that they are FAR more important than a lamp and that you love them SO much. But what if they are still crying and sad at that point…..wouldn’t that bother you? You’ve done everything you can but they remain sad which then makes you sad.
I think that’s probably how God feels about us since there isn’t anything else he can do to make us forgive ourselves for any of the following that may apply:
- That time you weren’t a gentleman on a date
- Cutting corners in business
- Drinking too much and/or abusing substances
- Financial or business failures
- Those websites you need to delete from your browsing history
- Prioritizing vanity over love
- Poor fitness & nutrition choices which have created health challenges
Those are all things to avoid, of course, but by not forgiving ourselves we’re not helping and we’re probably making it worse. So why do we continue to place ourselves above God and refuse self-forgiveness? And how do we stop doing that?
The answer lies in one of the most beautiful elements of God’s plan. To Him, it’s just a broken lamp and He wants you to quit fretting about it because He wants to get back to spending time with you. He wants what he’s always wanted which is a relationship with you and He will never quit pursuing that outcome. All you have to do is stop and let Him catch you.
Questions:
- Have your kids had any recent slip-ups or failures for which they couldn’t seem to forgive themselves? If so, how did that make you feel?
- If God has fully forgiven us, why is it so tough to forgive ourselves?
- What are some of the negative consequences of failing to forgive ourselves?
- Are you personally struggling with anything for which you’re having trouble forgiving yourself? If so, is there anything from today’s lesson that changes how you will approach the situation?
- Why do you think it is so important to God that we forgive ourselves?
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