Skip to main content

Forgive ...

  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart[1]. (I Peter 1:22)

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39)

I’m writing this at lunchtime. Blogs are supposed to be written before 9 am, but I spent most of the morning removing the last of the boxes from the truck, mowing the lawn, and pulling weeds. I set up my little roadside sitting area, except for the signs. And I discovered that my four pots of succulents and two poinsettias survived. So did 2 thymes, parsley, rosemary, lantana, a mint, and maybe a Greek oregano. I watered them all. They’re going to need some TLC, but my little garden may come back.

But, I discovered a wasp’s nest less than 3 feet from my front door, in the area where Grace spends time. I had to go get some wasp spray, and while I was at the store, I found myself rehearsing the same old song. “I’m not getting anything done, I’m such a failure, woe is me!” Modulate up a half step and repeat until you reach your highest pitch, then reverse and work your way to your lowest.

As I left the store, I found myself thinking about forgiveness, and specifically about forgiving myself. When I got home, I checked my online, searchable Bible, and confirmed what I’d been pretty sure I’d find. There is nothing in Scripture that talks about forgiving yourself. You are to forgive everyone, and you are to seek forgiveness from anyone you have wronged. Is it assumed that none of us need direction in terms of forgiving ourselves? Is it obvious to us?

Some people are willing to forgive themselves for anything and everything. They absolve themselves without a second thought. Others find fault for failures even if they are things out of their control. I seem to be in the second group at the moment, kicking myself for 90% of the decisions I remember making in my life, and 100% of the decisions in the last month.

I’m also kicking myself for not getting things done as quickly as I’d like. I’ve been here for nearly 48 hours and while the truck is empty, Grace Cottage is a cluttered mess but, are those things sins? Do I need to forgive myself? Or do I only need to set reasonable goals? If they are sins, are they not the sins of not trusting God to lead me? If so, then do I need to forgive myself, or do I need to seek His forgiveness? Is this the lesson I’m to learn this winter? We shall see.


[1]         Some early manuscripts end this passage with “from a pure heart.”

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Way, The Truth, and The Life

              Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me . (John 14:6)           If “I am the gate of the sheep…I am the good shepherd” from chapter 10 is a double whammy, this verse is a triple whammy. And its first victim is the notion that any other so-called god was acceptable or the same as Jesus. He, and He alone is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to get to the Father. There is no other Savior, or Redeemer, according to Jesus. Now, to be fair, other religions will claim that their religion or god(s) are the only way. That is the nature of gods and of religions. If this and that are equally good and agree on what’s necessary, then this and that are the same thing, so there’s no need to from the other to one. If that’s the case, then why speak against the other or promote the one? There’s a song I’ve been listening to i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more