daily java

Daily Java: For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:11-12)

One of the hardest things to do in life is to forgive yourself.

It is easy to forgive other people. And you look so stinking noble doing it. People pat you on the back and tell others what a great guy you are.

But forgiving yourself is something completely different.

To forgive yourself means to put aside all the guilt and sadness and allow yourself to get on with life.

We are crippled by this. When we sin, we see a side of ourselves that we cannot stand, a side that we wish we hadn’t seen. We did something that completely destroyed the confident feeling we had before.

From now on, when anyone says you are a good guy, you will know deep down that you are not. You will know that you are an idiot capable of doing stupid things. And you hate yourself for it.

However, if we believe that God forgives – and I do – and if we believe that when God forgives us, it becomes as far from him as the east is from the west – and I do, then why can we not forgive ourselves?

I guess the problem is that you know what you are capable of and it destroys your self-image. It is easy to be magnanimous to others, because you do not have to live inside their heads.

Destroying our self-image is not altogether a bad thing, though. After all, our self-image should be that of a saved and justified child of God, not some great guy who doesn’t wear his Superman suit simply because he is modest.

But you cannot carry that around, that guilt, that sense of failure. You have to get rid of it.

If you are to love your neighbor as yourself, you also have to love yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn’t care if God saved you. And obviously you do.

God says you are saved. Don’t argue with him. Accept it. And move on.

Of course, this is easier said than done. But it is no less true.