It's okay to be human.

A common theme that I've been seeing around lately is that people are worried that God can't love them because of the mistakes that they've made. I've been on the receiving end of this feeling. I've lived in extreme guilt because of sins that I've committed. I beat myself up daily because I felt like I had let God down somehow, that I had completely messed up my future because I wasn't the perfect Christian that I thought I had to be.

And even though John (1 John 2:6) urged us to strive to be Christ-like, God also understands that we're only human. If you've read through Psalms, you may have missed a few of these verses, but it says that God knows that we're only human.

³⁸ But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
³⁹ For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. (Psalm 78)

Of course, the Psalmist was referring to the Israelites, but I know that it still applies to us today. See, God forgives us because He loves us. He's proved that time and time again, but the biggest proof of His love is when He sent His only Son to die for us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Could you imagine loving someone so much you died for them? I can. I would gladly give my life for my family, but He didn't just sacrifice Himself. He sacrificed His Son. Would you give your kid up for sacrifice for the world? I wouldn't. There's no way I would sacrifice my child (if I had one) for the good of humanity.

The point I'm trying to make is that we have to get it into our heart, soul, and mind just how much God loves us. His love for us isn't dependent on what we do. He simply loves us. You can't mess up enough that the Savior can't save you. And if you do mess up, which let's face it, will happen, God will forgive you.

Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. (Psalm 85:2)

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (Psalm 86:5)

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

God will forgive us of our sins because He understands that's we're only flesh. We're just human. I'm not giving you a get out of jail free card to sin. That's not what this is about. We are supposed to try and not sin, but it still happens. We're weak, and God knows that. But, you shouldn't let your past mistakes keep you from understanding that God will forgive you. He understands that we are human, that we make mistakes.

Don't feel unworthy because of your past. That's just the devil trying to keep you from living a God-filled life. The devil will beat you down so hard that you can't see God standing right in front of you, telling you how much He loves you, but all you have to do is reach out and feel the nail-scarred hand that was proof of His love. 

God doesn't give up on us, and we shouldn't doubt His love for us. If there's one thing I've learned, God will always do something to show you how much He does love you. Maybe this post is that. Maybe it's not, but I'm here to tell you, God loves you for you. He loves you so much that He's willing to forgive you and move on without remembering that sin. Can you forgive and forget? No. We can't because we're human but God. Oh, He's a different story. He will forgive and forget because He's just that amazing.

You are worthy to be loved. Never forget that.

Decisions. How do they affect your life? Guest Post by Sharon Johnson

Today, guys, I want to introduce you to Sharon Johnson.  A wonderful author that I've had the pleasure of meeting through the Christian Indie Novelists group we both belong to.  Today, she's sharing her story.  Leave some comments, make her feel welcome!  And if all goes well, she will be a contributing author to the blog! 

Thank you for having me today.  I am thrilled to be here. 

      

Life is all about decisions.  We make decisions all day long.  Some are good decisions.  Some are bad decisions.  Seems like all my life I have been making bad decisions.  I have always heard; listen to that voice deep inside.  You know that feeling you get, when you know you are making a terrible decision.  I always ignored that feeling.  Not sure why.  Maybe fear. 

     

I drank to make me feel better about the terrible decisions I made.  I starved myself because I didn’t think I was good enough.  If I wasn’t drinking, I was starving myself.  I was a mess.  I believed in GOD.  I prayed.  Why was my life such a mess? 

    

One time in my life, I found myself alone.  I was a divorced woman. Divorce is a sin.  I knew I was going to Hell, so it didn’t matter what I did.  I moved in with a man and I knew it was wrong. There was that feeling deep in my stomach, telling me I was making the wrong decision.  I couldn’t live on my own.  Who was going to take care of me? Three years in a abusive relationship.  I thought I deserved it.  I am a divorced woman going to Hell, so nothing really mattered.

I finally got out of the abusive relationship, thanks to GOD, though at the time I didn’t give GOD any credit.  I was alone.  I had nothing.  I was crying one night, till I could cry no more.  I looked up and screamed.  “Just tell me what to do!  I don’t know what you want from me.  Tell me what to do!”

I fell asleep on the floor, where I was crying.  I woke up and the answer was crystal clear.  GOD answered my prayer.  He didn’t yell the answer.  I had peace inside of me.  I knew what I had to do.  GOD told me to move and stand on my own.

Did GOD know who he was talking to?  I was 45 years old and never lived alone.  I needed someone to take care of me. 

The first time in my life I was going to listen to that voice/feeling deep inside of me.  Was I scared?  Yes.  Did I think I could do it? Nope.  For the first time I was trusting GOD.  I stopped drinking.  Best thing I ever did.  As the years past I discovered that GOD loves me, even when I ignored him.  I still make wrong decisions, but whenever I make a decision and get that feeling deep inside, I listen to that feeling.  Sometimes I don’t agree with that feeling.  In the end that feeling is guiding me in the right direction.

    

I do hope that no matter what is going on in your life, you will listen to that voice deep inside of you.  The voice will not be loud, it will be soft, loving and will nudge you in the right direction.  It is your decision; GOD gave us all free will.  I can tell you that my life is so much better since I am listening to GOD.

My Bible—My God is my testimony to GOD.  I let Satan throw me into a pit.  GOD pulled me out of the pit.  God was with me, even when I ignored him.  GOD is always with us.  We just have to listen and He will guide us into making the right decisions.

You are never alone.  GOD loves you. 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future. 

 My Bible—My God.

     

http://sharonleejohnson.com

Feeling Unworthy of Forgiveness

Last time, we covered feeling unworthy of love.  Today, I’d like to cover the feeling of unworthiness of forgiveness.

Maybe you can’t see your own worth because of the mistakes you’ve made in your life.  But let me tell you something – You are not perfect.  Once you accept this, you’ll see that it’s easier to move past your mistakes.

Notice I said easier.  It won’t be easy.  This I know, but eventually, the pain will end, and you’ll move past it.

No one is perfect.  Let’s look at this phrase a little closer.

We are only human.  There is no way we can be perfect.  Sure, we ought to strive for perfection, but we’re going to screw up.  It’s just us being human!

No matter how hard we try not to sin or mess up, chances are we’re going to at least once or a couple of times our life. 

Romans 3:23

 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God

That verse proves that God knows we’re all sinners.  We mess up at times.

Psalm 78: 38, 39

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them.  Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath; For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again.

See, God knows that we’re only human.  He is compassionate, and forgiveness is ours if we only ask for it.  But that hardest part about seeking forgiveness or feeling unworthy of forgiveness is the unwillingness to forgive ourselves.

Sometimes, we feel like we have screwed up our lives so much that we aren’t deserving of a good, happy life.  But that’s not true.  God has forgiven us when we repent of our sins.  Why can’t we forgive ourselves?

Psalm 103:12

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

That’s a good question.  One I struggled with for years.  I couldn’t see past the mistakes I’d made.  But, they happened.  I had to learn to accept that.    

Sheila Walsh in “Let Go” says

“To say that we don’t deserve to be forgiven is to make our sin more powerful than the blood of Christ. If God forgives us, then we must forgive ourselves…. Every sin was covered by the lifeblood of the Lamb.”

She also says, “…forgiveness means being comfortable with ourselves, the good and the bad.  We don’t have to be perfect.”

And she also says, “It’s vital, though, that we separate what we did from who we are.”

It’s hard to see our mistakes as a separate entity.  But that’s just what it is.  We made a mistake, but we don’t have to let it define us.  It’s separate from us.  We have to forgive ourselves to get peace of mind and healing from unforgiveness. 

Say this every day, “I’m not perfect.  I don’t have to be perfect.  If I mess up, I will ask for forgiveness, forgive myself, and live life.”

Learn to let go and forgive.  You are forgiven.  You are free from this unforgiveness trap.  Just accept it.

Feeling Unworthy of Love

Have you ever felt undeserving of anything?  Maybe you feel unworthy in the eyes of the person you love.  Maybe you feel unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness.  Maybe it’s unworthiness of your happiness or in your work place.  Sometimes you feel as if you don’t deserve any good thing in your life.

Why would you feel that way?  There has to be some reason that has made you feel this way.  Let’s look at one of those reasons right now.

You don’t feel like someone will ever love you or you don't deserve the love you've been given.

I used to feel that way.  Sometimes I still do.  You feel as if you need to lose weight to be beautiful.  Or you feel like you aren’t handsome enough, good enough.  Maybe you feel like your personality drives people away.  Maybe you think you aren’t attractive enough.  Sometimes you feel as if you’ll never find your significant other. 

This isn’t true.

Do you remember the post about being beautiful and the song, “Beautiful” by Mercy Me?

Well, a couple of years ago – maybe close to two – I was visiting my cousin.  I had been through a breakup and was feeling down about myself.  I had been talking to her about how I just wished someone would love me.  I felt fat, ugly and unlovable.

I wanted a husband, kids.  My cousin was married and my younger sister too.  I was the only girl in my family who wasn’t in a serious relationship.  I felt alone and worthless.  I wanted more out of my life than I was getting. 

After leaving my cousin’s house that night, I was driving home, listening to KLOVE’s radio station in my area and “Beautiful” by Mercy Me came on.

I could feel the Spirit of God coming over me.  I knew He wanted me to hear that song.  Especially the part that says, “You are treasured.  You are sacred, and you are His.”

It was then that God revealed to me that I’m His.  It doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks or says about me because I’m God’s child.  He made me.  How dare I think that I’m not worthy of anyone’s love, especially His. 

My life changed after that.  I no longer saw my life as a waste of time or wishing for things I didn’t have.  I’m worthy of love – God’s love and whoever my future husband will be.

I’m still not married, and sometimes, it sucks.  I want that relationship with another human being.  But right now, it’s not in God’s will for my life, so I’ll focus my attention on God and dive deeper into His Word.  But, I won’t forget that I AM in fact worthy of this love because I am God’s child. 

He created me.  He molded me into His image.  He wants the best for me and doesn’t want me to settle for second best.

Do I know God’s will for my life?  No – but I know what He promised me.  A good life – good but not always easy.  The desires of my heart but within His will, not mine. 

I know that sometimes it’s not easy feeling worthy.  In fact, our human nature wants us to feel like we aren’t good enough, but God has said that we are His children.  He created us, and He wants us to realize that we are worthy because He sent his Son to die for our sins.  His blood has us covered.  We just have to remember that.  God loves us.  What can man do to us if God loves us? 

“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Learning to Forgive

There was something I always struggled with in my Christian life.  It was learning to forgive.  How can I trust someone who has continuously hurt me over and over again?  How could I ever deal with what that person did to me?  I never really realized that I was holding a grudge or not forgiving those I had let into my heart who had hurt me. 

One time, I said to my mom in a moment of sadness and rage that I wished I had never loved someone who had hurt me to the core.  I had given them my heart, and they ripped in two.  She told me, “Emerald, if you quit loving people, you’ll distance yourself from God and won’t let Him in because GOD IS LOVE.” 

That’s when I realized that no matter how much someone has hurt me, the most important thing was to forgive them for what they did so I could start the healing process.  Was it easy?  Gosh no!  It was the hardest thing I had ever done.  And, to be honest, I didn’t even realize I had not forgiven these people.  I thought I had, but true forgiveness wasn’t given.  I poured my heart out to God and finally forgave those that hurt me.  

I’m currently reading a book called “Let Go” by Sheila Walsh.  In that book, she talks about forgiving and the trap of unforgiveness.  She said a lot of brilliant things.  But these really rang true with me.  “…if we want to live free in Christ’s love, we must forgive.” 

Also, “I believe we can only really forgive when we acknowledge the depth to which we have been wounded and allow ourselves to ‘own’ the pain….[to]face the truth that we are wounded.”

And “We need to accept that we live in a world where at times pain is just part of the package.  When we humbly admit that we are wounded and allow ourselves to feel that pain, only then can we bring it to Christ for healing and begin the process of forgiveness.”

These are just three quotes in an entire chapter that makes you see how forgiving and letting go and letting God can bring about healing of the pain we’re struggling with. 

I know it’s hard.  I want to hold grudges and hate the people who have hurt me, but that isn’t the best way to live.  We have to love because GOD IS LOVE!  Learning to love and not hate is something that will come about once we experience true forgiveness for the pain caused in our lives.

Now, I want to talk about something that isn’t related to others.  It’s about learning to forgive ourselves.  We can hate ourselves for the mistakes that we have made or for other reasons.  But the fact is, we can forgive others, but true forgiveness also requires for us to forgive ourselves! 

Why shouldn’t we extend the same forgiveness towards ourselves that we give to others?  God has forgiven us of our sins once we repent of them and forgotten them.  Why can’t we?  Because we’re human.  But once we give our burdens to Christ, forgive ourselves, we can move on and be free of pain!  Isn’t that something to look forward to?!  Not hurting… To be pain free.  To move on with our lives?! 

That sounds like a good idea to me.  I know that pain lasts much longer than we ever want it to, and as clichéd as it is, time will heal all wounds.  But there are things that we must learn to let go of in order to start the healing process.  And, forgiving others and ourselves is part of that. 

We can’t shut out God.  He wants to help us.  He wants us to forgive others.  He wants us to forgive ourselves.  He loves us.  He wants us to be happy and free!  Freedom is in Him, but it’s important for us to forgive in order to be free!