When I accepted the invitation to guest blog while a well deserved sabbatical is enjoyed by AR and her family, I once again procrastinated. Of course, I then beat myself up trying to force myself to figure out a topic on which to write. And once again, I became one of the last to turn in her work. I thought to myself, “I sure hope AR forgives me.” And knowing my sweet sister, AR, I am most positive she does. The word forgive got me thinking. I scrapped the beginnings of a post that I had struggled to write and started over.
I forgive you. I forgive you, but I won’t forget. Can you ever forgive me? Please forgive me. Father, please forgive me.
How many times have we heard or uttered one of those sentences? I looked up quotes with the word “forgive” in them, and of course, website after website had plenty to choose. Quotes from famous people, quotes that made sense, quotes that made no sense whatsoever… funny quotes, sad quotes… however, for today I want to focus on these words that I am sure each one of us has thought, said or heard more than once.
“I can’t forgive myself.”
Culture today perhaps teaches us that in order to move on with our lives we must forgive ourselves. Indeed a difficult task. After all, forgiveness is hard work. The historic scriptures are peppered with the words “forgive,” “forgiveness,” “forgiven”…
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.
Doing some very quick research, depending on the translation used, I noted that the word “forgive” in the bible is used at minimum 27 times, but never once does scripture call us to forgive ourselves. Believe me, I have looked! I have had many loving conversations gathered around a table, bibles open and not one of us could find a specific verse calling us to forgive ourselves. We are called to forgive and we are called to ask God for forgiveness. But we are not called to forgive ourselves. Forgiving our own sin is God’s work. If we forgive ourselves, does that truly free us? … or are we still in bondage to our wrongdoing? Do we have the power to pardon ourselves? I read a quote in a devotional that I keep in my bible: “As the author of Hebrews points out, if our forgiveness relies on our doing something, that forgiveness has no effect at all, outside of creating guilt.” And so the cycle continues. The enemy will continue to remind us that we are unforgivable if we cannot forgive ourselves, putting the focus on ourselves rather than the Forgiver.
The forgiveness of the cross eliminated the need for us to forgive ourselves from our wrongdoings. We can humbly go to God for the work that only God can do in our lives. So the next time you think or say “I cannot forgive myself for what I have done,” remember you do not need to take on such a lofty task. Go to the Forgiver, with a true repentant heart. He will forgive your sin and remember it no more.
Respectfully…
KS