“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31–32 )
Do we live our lives as if our sins have been forgiven? Or are we holding on to those things that so easily hold us back?
A story that was shared with me some years ago, while conducting outreach at an abuse shelter, involved a dear lady who was living in regret of not listening to her mother and not forgiving herself. Specifically, she was warned to be cautious of the kind of people she kept company with. But she did not listen. The short version of the story –- the woman became involved with the wrong people, drugs and a man she was romantically interested in. He had physically abused her and pushed her down a flight of stairs, which broke her ankle and her spirit. She was in a wheelchair healing from the injury and trying to get clean from drugs. Her mother had been praying for her through all of this. The lady was now working to put her life back together. Looking back, she had regrets but discovered a God who was watching out for her all along. Praise God!
When we surrender to the will of God, He takes on the pain and difficulties of this life. He knows our human nature and forgives us anyway. Oh, what an amazing, merciful and loving God we serve!
Ellen G. White writes, in “Christ’s Object Lessons,” Chapter 19, last paragraph, “We are not forgiven because we forgive, but as we forgive. The ground of all forgiveness is found in the unmerited love of God, but by our attitude toward others we show whether we have made that love our own.”
Forgiving others is one thing, but we also need to forgive ourselves. Regrets and discouragement held because we did not do or say one thing or another can keep us from clearly seeing God’s plan. It’s like a blindfold keeping the light of God’s love and HIs direction and guidance for our lives out of sight. Why would we inhibit ourselves that way? From time to time, we may all have done this. But Jesus tells us, “He is the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6).
Remember, no one’s life is perfect. Replace regret with gratitude. Continue preparing for Glory, by God’s grace. Strive to give God your best in all things. If we keep that mindset, after asking forgiveness and forgiving others, we’ve set ourselves free. We know the very best is yet to come — Heaven!
Paulette Taylor serves as the prayer ministry coordinator for the Indiana Conference.