Yesterday’s blog referenced one of the most popular passages on the topic of love, I Corinthians 13. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy….I’ve always thought of this passage in one way: relationally. Am I patient with my students? Do I show kindness to my mother? Am I envious of my neighbor who has a nicer car than I do? Do I keep a running tally of all the times I’ve felt that my husband’s done me wrong?
Yesterday, it dawned on me that these verses can also be applied to how you view and treat yourself as well. Am I patient with myself? Am I kind to myself? Do I forgive myself? After all, love isn’t supposed to keep records of wrong. So if I genuinely love myself, I will forgive myself when I mess up. That’s a tough one for me to do. So often, I find myself holding on to past mistakes. I harbor these strong feelings of guilt over mean things I’ve said and wrong actions I’ve committed yesterday, last month, and even years ago, sins of which I’ve already been forgiven. Psalm 103:12 says “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” I’m not saying we should attempt to forget about our past sins. On the contrary, I do believe we should remember so that we can learn from our past. But we should not live in defeat and let our past rule us or define who we are!
Faithpondering 