Week of July 11, 2000
Amy M.

"Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
they are justified by his grace as a gift..."
Romans 3: 23, 24

My mother and I share a very simple devotional book that has continued to sustain us for many, many years. I would like to share one of those devotions with you.

Forgive yourself.
  "If only I had . . ."
  "I wish I had never . . . "

Such torturing thoughts accomplish nothing. It's often hard to forgive ourselves for stupid mistakes, careless acts, wrong decisions. But regrets cannot undo the past. They only weigh us down and lower our self-esteem.

God forgives our sins and mistakes. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. We confess our sins and desire not to commit them again. Since God offers complete forgiveness, we should accept it and forgive ourselves.

God does not always remove the consequences. We may have to live with memories of wasted opportunities, wasted assets, wasted years. Sometimes we can make amends, but reparation is not always possible.

Still we can be optimistic:
  God isn't finished with us yet!
  We're still under construction.
  We know we have faults. It is a struggle to improve.
  No one has it all together.
  How patient we ought to be with fellow strugglers!

We need to learn to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again. We can learn from past experiences and determine for the future:
  "Never again will I. . ."
  "With God's help the next time I will. . ."

Lord, thank you so much for the forgiveness you have brought us and for the chances that we will always have with you to move on from our mistakes. Despite the anger, disappointment and embarrassment that comes with mistakes and mess-ups in life, help us to turn toward you and recognize your great love for us. Move us to share that with those around us. Amen.

Contributed by Amy M.
Published Tuesday July 11, 2000
Week 33 of Liturgical Year B