We always talk about forgiveness and the importance of forgiving others.
It suddenly dawned on me – and I believe the Holy Spirit dropped this in my spirit – that a key factor in the process of healing and recovery, is the ability to forgive oneself, not just once, but over and over again.
Every true teaching we have heard and tried to apply to others about the subject of forgiveness, we need to apply to ourselves, if we want to recover and succeed.
We must admit we are often pretty hard on ourselves. We know it when we fail and when we do not measure up to our own set standards – standards informed by all kinds of conceptions both true and false.
Yes, it is important and necessary to be sincere at all times, but for us to recover and move on to success, it is also crucial that we learn how to be merciful and forgiving to ourselves. I have to learn how to encourage myself. We need to realize it is okay and normal to fail sometimes and that this does not mean we are permanent failures. Have you ever failed at something? We can give our own selves a break and a pat on the back and get moving with positive self-belief and try again, genuinely believing in ourselves that we’ve got what it takes to succeed.
Matthew 18:21-22
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
I know this is primarily directed at how to treat a brother or someone else, but I also want to see myself as that brother that Jesus talked about that needs to be forgiven not just seven times but seventy times seven times on my way to achieving anything I want to do. I will keep trying, never condemning myself to failure and giving myself another chance, until I succeed, after all Jesus also commanded that we love our neighbour as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).
Loving my neighbour starts with loving me since Jesus instructed I should love them as myself. I have to start by knowing how to love myself positively as well.
As a man thinks in his heart, so is He.
So if you think you are a success, some occasional or regular occurrences of failure notwithstanding, then you are a success.
The popular story of Thomas Edison comes to mind. He failed over and over again on his way to inventing the light bulb. He never gave up. He kept trying. Describing his experience, he said ” “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that do not work.” – Thomas Edison.
Understanding this truth has been liberating for me and I believe it will help encourage and fire you up to rise up from every feeling of failure and defeat. You are not a failure, only do not give up trying.
Laolu Oyeyemi