Heavy Lifting

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14 (NIV)

How hard is it for you to forgive someone who has wronged you? I was talking with a few people from our church one evening about lots of different spiritual concerns. One of the men in our group had brought to light the topic of forgiveness. I immediately thought of self-forgiveness. Now for another question: how much more difficult is it for you to forgive yourself?

The concept of forgiving ourselves is tough to swallow. I know I constantly beat myself up for past wrongs. It can be tremendously tough to let go of our past, even when we have righted the wrong. I believe firmly that when Jesus talks about forgiving others' sins, He also is saying we should forgive our own. How many people have fallen into bad behavioral patterns because of the mindset that they can never outlive their sin? How many times have I made a bad choice because of who I thought I was because of un-forgiven sin? How many times have you? The burden of carrying sin on your back, simply because we cannot forgive ourselves can become some serious heavy lifting. The crushing weight of knowing what you did and not laying it at the Savior's feet (and leaving it there) can change lives, and not in a good way.

Why then, can we forgive other people? That is not always easy, but for some reason, it is easier. I think sometimes it is like giving gifts and receiving them, or helping someone rather than asking for help. It's so much fun to give, and it is so much easier to give help than ask for it! Forgiving someone else also means they are in your debt. Asking for forgiveness is humbling, even when you must ask it of yourself. But it is an important step in moving past your past, and in clearing your walk with God. When your conscience is clear, when you can see yourself in the light of God, and how He sees you, without all that you have done on your back, true freedom in Christ allows you to really do great things. Take time to see what in your past is holding you back and leave it at the feet of Jesus in prayer. Then, stand up tall, with no weight of sin on your back and move forward in a way you could not before.

God, give me the strength to let go of the things I have done that I am still carrying around. Forgive me, just as I have now forgiven myself. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher