“Forgive yourself for the things you didn't know before you learned them. If you would have known better you would have done better.” ~Maya Angelou
If we've had a decent amount of time on earth, we've surely said at least ONE of the following:
How could I have done that?
I should have KNOWN better!
Or . . .
I’m so ________ ( fill in the blank with your choice of self berating adjective)
I don’t care who you are, we have ALL fallen short of being human ideals. Paul, a well known author of many biblical passages said, “For we have all fallen short of the glory of God.”
In my own life I truly regret so many decisions I’ve made, things I’ve done and most importantly, people I've hurt. Most of us I'm sure have had a fair share of financial, moral and relational mistakes. Some mistakes are mitigable and some, unfortunately, less easy to expunge; especially if those mistakes aren't forgiven by someone who is holding a grudge against you. But how are you doing forgiving yourself? It's natural for us to belabor mistakes in our past, and reflection is a good exercise, but wallowing in the past is not. It's often a failure method, as Florence Scovel Shinn refers to it in her book, The Game of Life & How to Play It.
I know personally, it has taken me years to move beyond self-loathing & regret about many things I've done, but self forgiveness truly is the only way out of the vortex of regret, negative emotions, and being stuck. And I hope you are learning and forgiving yourself. Take time today to write down all the mistakes for which you've forgiven yourself, even if others have not.
I'll be sharing mine here also, as soon as it's ready for upload, so check back!
Thank you so much for stopping by today! And for now . . .
🌿May You Grow & Prosper . . .
