I’ve had to forgive myself for many things in the past: misleading ex-boyfriends, icing girls who I’ve felt wronged me, challenging the authority of my mother by riding my red bicycle to my best friends house in middle school without her knowledge. Heck, just last week, I had several negative thoughts about a situation out of my control. But the point here, as the title of this piece states, self-forgiveness.
Self-forgiveness is the ability to forgive ourselves for mistakes, large and small.
I am reminded that living out my Christian faith means continually forgiving errors from the people in my life, but it’s also recognizing my own shortcomings and extending forgiveness to myself.
I waste a lot of time on social media – forgiveness
I don’t cook for my handsome hubby as much as I would like – forgiveness
I steal my husband's socks, underwear, and t-shirts even after he ask that I not – forgiveness
I binge on junk food, drink too much coffee, and watch bad television – significant forgiveness
There is more, but you get my point.
The process is not natural because you and I are first asked to look closely at our actions. Self-forgiveness begins with the question, “where did I screw up here? Why did I choose those actions? How can I make amends and get better?” But, what comes next is the freedom that comes with forgiveness – new beginnings.
I can’t tell you how many times I have won after losing: disagreements with my husband led to deeper intimacy, friendships that were on the rocks experienced a profound level of honesty, and I listen more to my mother now than I ever did growing up. The result of self-forgiveness has produced a life more to my choosing.
Becoming yourself is about being willing to take the full journey of life, no shortcuts. It's about showing up in the misunderstandings and working through them. Who knows what will happen.
Thank You For Reading:
I am working on another book. Each week I will blog topics, inspiration, thoughts, concepts, and themes from my third title “The Bold Act of Becoming Yourself.” If an idea, concept, or comment comes to your mind — let me know in the comment section below. My goal is to release this work in 2019. #TheBoldSelf