When you cant forgive yourself. You make yourself feel unworthy. Sometimes you cant forgive yourself because youre afraid that you might lose the person you have wronged. When you cant forgive yourself because of something youve done to someone else sometimes all it takes is a sincere apology to make things right.
When you cant forgive yourself the way out of this internal bondage however is not self forgiveness but rather self acceptance. When our christian counselee says something like i just cant forgive myself as biblical counselors how do we respond. You let it affect your decisions.
God is slow to get angry. Experts urge us to forgive as quickly and fully as possible. Perhaps its a client who has committed adultery or had an abortion or done something contrary to scripture and despite asking for and receiving gods forgiveness she refuses to forgive herself.
You can learn to forgive yourself by remembering these key points in psalm 103. He is patient and kind willing to forgive. Although its hard for you to see the true problem the reason you cant forgive yourself is that you dont want to have anything to need forgiveness for.
It becomes the story that you bring into the future rather than the one you lay peacefully to rest where it belongs. By refusing to forgive yourself you are telling yourself a story about shame and obliteration so many times that it becomes the only one you know how to act out. You verbally abuse yourself quietly in the recesses of your own heart.
You feel paralyzed by your past. His unfailing love covers your sin because jesus died. You may be angry at yourself for sinning but god isnt if you have turned to him in repentance.
According to the pros we should try to forgive for the sake of our own health and happiness. How psalm 103 helps you forgive yourself. You keep reliving what youve done.
Apologies are most effective if made in person.