I know God has forgiven me all of my sins, but how do I forgive myself? The Resurrection makes it easier to forgive myself, but I sometimes wonder does God’s forgiveness get exhausted with having to forgive so many of His children? We need to trust that God has more hold on us than we have on Him. When that trust wanes from time to time and doubt tries to push it out of the way, the Evil one is trying to take over our hearts and minds. God is abundant in grace and rich in mercy enough to care for all of His children. It is a sign of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us when we wrestle with the concepts of forgiveness and mercy, but rest assured, God has all of us in His hands.
Doubt has its way of corroding the positive thoughts and actions of our lives. God’s hold on us is stronger than any machine made by man. As the 23rd Psalm (KJV) says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” God is tough and patient; as our Father, He has the responsibility to guide us as we struggle with being human. He honors us with unconditional love, and by that action, He holds a covenant between us and Him. Even as we stumble and make bad choices, He is always there waiting patiently for us to acknowledge that He, alone, is our Father.
Many people struggle with change and how it gives a different direction to everything we do. It’s important to realize that many of us try to control everything in our lives so much that there is little room for praying, for trust, for breathing, or for resting. Accepting that change is a certainty and that God uses change to further direct our decisions and to provide us with the courage to move forward on different paths, we can be assured that He will walk beside us, making our steps more courageous with each step. Faith is an adventure when we understand that God is journeying with us by faith, strength, and glory. He wants us to use change to flourish with it, to accept and adapt to it, and to make the best of things so that our lives will be positive and our hearts faithful. John 14: 1-6 (KJV) states, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know….I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
As we try to maintain Christian, positive, caring lives, we should look to the Holy Trinity-God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the ever-present Holy Spirit- for direction in our lives. Nothing is impossible with the help of these three Christian foundations. Forgiveness is granted by the Resurrection, doubt may enter momentarily but will be dispersed with wisdom, and change will be a challenge but a necessary part of our growth. Throughout everything, trust in God’s unconditional love will be the foundation of a brighter world and more caring human beings.
Anna Hartt
