myth # 1. "I'll never be free from my past."
Oh, wow...sometimes things just fall apart.
myth # 1. "I'll never be free from my past."
from TNIV eDevotional
at issue: forgiveness
"So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"
John 8:36
This TNIV eDevotional is from: True Identity: The Bible for Women
and Strive:The Bible for Men by Zondervan
I feel as if I've lived two or three different lives. And if any one of those past lives ever catches up with me, then everything I can safely call my own today is gone-my reputation as a leader at work, a successful marriage, my loving family. My past threatens all of it. I fear someone, somewhere will claim to know what I'm "really like." Only I'm not that person anymore. Not perfect, but, thank God, not what I used to be. I truly believe I've changed and am growing into the person Christ wants me to be. But that person still carries a secret burden. As bright as the future is, I'm never free from the past.
I'm never free from the haunting accusations surrounding yesterday's mistakes that may ambush me today. Imaginary scenarios and entire conversations play out in my head. They sneak into my thoughts with crafty subtlety. Sometimes when I tuck my baby girl under the covers for the night and she whispers, "I love you," I want so much to enjoy the moment and soak in her affection. But a faint, persistent voice inside tells me, "You don't deserve her, you know. Not after what you've done.
And when I meet someone that I genuinely like, whose friendship I really enjoy, the thought inevitably traipses through my head that if they knew my past, they wouldn't think so highly of me. When my boss recognizes my "innovative leadership," I receive a sense of accomplishment. Until I begin to remember all my failures. It sounds hypocritical to say I believe Jesus has forgiven my past. I do believe. I just want to know, will I ever be free from it?
Sometimes it takes time to forgive ourselves for our past. About 80 percent of adults ages 45+ said they knew that God forgave them for their sins and that this knowledge gave them the strength to face their faults and be a better person, compared to 69 percent of those ages 18-44
-University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research
Thank you Lord for forgiving me of my sins!
myth # 1. "I'll never be free from my past."
from TNIV eDevotional
at issue: forgiveness
"So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"
John 8:36
This TNIV eDevotional is from: True Identity: The Bible for Women
and Strive:The Bible for Men by Zondervan
I feel as if I've lived two or three different lives. And if any one of those past lives ever catches up with me, then everything I can safely call my own today is gone-my reputation as a leader at work, a successful marriage, my loving family. My past threatens all of it. I fear someone, somewhere will claim to know what I'm "really like." Only I'm not that person anymore. Not perfect, but, thank God, not what I used to be. I truly believe I've changed and am growing into the person Christ wants me to be. But that person still carries a secret burden. As bright as the future is, I'm never free from the past.
I'm never free from the haunting accusations surrounding yesterday's mistakes that may ambush me today. Imaginary scenarios and entire conversations play out in my head. They sneak into my thoughts with crafty subtlety. Sometimes when I tuck my baby girl under the covers for the night and she whispers, "I love you," I want so much to enjoy the moment and soak in her affection. But a faint, persistent voice inside tells me, "You don't deserve her, you know. Not after what you've done.
And when I meet someone that I genuinely like, whose friendship I really enjoy, the thought inevitably traipses through my head that if they knew my past, they wouldn't think so highly of me. When my boss recognizes my "innovative leadership," I receive a sense of accomplishment. Until I begin to remember all my failures. It sounds hypocritical to say I believe Jesus has forgiven my past. I do believe. I just want to know, will I ever be free from it?
Sometimes it takes time to forgive ourselves for our past. About 80 percent of adults ages 45+ said they knew that God forgave them for their sins and that this knowledge gave them the strength to face their faults and be a better person, compared to 69 percent of those ages 18-44
-University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research
Thank you Lord for forgiving me of my sins!
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