If I have confessed my past sins to God and if I have sought reconciliation with the people from my past, then why can’t I forgive myself? It’s a valid question since, in my opinion, people have an easier time receiving God’s forgiveness than they do forgiving themselves. Maybe it’s because we still live with the consequences of our sin or maybe it results from being disappointed in ourselves. I’m not sure if I have all the answers. What makes matters worse is that the Bible never speaks concerning “forgiving yourself,” so the follower doesn’t really have a reference point…or do they? Although the Bible never specifically mentions forgiving ourselves, the Bible provides numerous examples of people who moved on with their lives after a shameful event. The past is the past and will never change no matter how much you beat yourself up. If you grieve every single day of your life for the sins of your past, it still won’t change what has already been done. Please listen to me. It’s time to move on. You cannot change the past, but you can change today and tomorrow and the next day if God grants you life.
- Adam and Eve were responsible for bringing sin upon the whole human race (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12).
- Noah brought shame on his family when he got drunk and naked in his tent (Genesis 9:18-29).
- Sarah suggested that her husband, Abraham, have sex with her servant (and he did) so that they could have a child (Genesis 16).
- Moses murdered an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-15) and later in his life objected to God’s will (Exodus 3-4).
- Israel, God’s chosen people, repeatedly turned their back on God and worshiped other gods (too many occurrences to list here).
- David, king of Israel, committed adultery and conspired in the murder of her husband (2 Samuel 11-12).
- Solomon had it all, but still wasn’t satisfied (Ecclesiastes).
- Hosea, one of God’s prophets to Israel, was married to a woman who became a prostitute (Hosea).
- Jonah refused to obey God and later pouted because God allowed Gentiles to be forgiven (Jonah).
- All of Jesus’ disciples abandoned Him during the hardest time in His life (Matthew 26:56).
- Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, denied that he even knew Him (Matthew 26:69-75).
- Saul, who later became Paul, persecuted and probably even killed Christians (Acts 8:1-3).
These characters in the Bible did some very shameful things, but they all had one thing in common – they chose to move on. In no way am I excusing their sins, but they had no choice but to move forward with their life. My advice to you is the same. Confess your sin to God. Reconcile with others. Move on. I know you are ashamed of what you have done, but it will be more shameful if you choose to waste the rest of your life wishing to change the past.
Forget the past so you can free yourself for the future.
Posts in this series, Erasing the Past:
Something I’d Rather Forget
A Big ‘If’
Are You Ready To Do This?
I’m So Ashamed of Myself…
Wonderful point! Well said. I think I would not have included Hosea though… I don’t think personally that he fits with these others. Just my very small and irrelevant opinion.
Point well taken. I guess I meant Hosea as more of a guy who probably had regrets and a shameful past, not because of his own doing, but as a result of his marriage to a prostitute. I always imagined him as someone who constantly looked back with regrets; however, when you put him together with the other characters I mentioned, I totally see your point. Thanks for reading!