In Christianity: Forgiveness

 
Mathew 18:34-35
34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he
should pay all that was due to him. 35 So My heavenly Father also will
do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother
his trespasses.

We all know that forgiveness is important.  In the above scripture Jesus
talks about what will happen to us if we don't forgive our brother from
our heart of their trespasses.  But an important thing to remember is we
will not be forgiven also if we can't forgive ourselves of our own
trespasses.  Being a Christian we believe that Jesus Christ was
crucified on the cross and died as a sacrificial lamb to take away all
of our sins.  By that selfless act all of our sins were forgiven.  So
why do we not forgive ourselves when we stumble?  Why do we call
ourselves a failure, or an idiot.  Why do we walk around ashamed of
ourselves when we slip.  There are something's that we have going on in
our life that we are trying to be delivered from.  And just when we feel
we've been delivered from it we will slip up and do the very burden that
we feel has been taken off of us. And what do we do when that happens,
we curse ourselves.  We condemn ourselves and sometimes we turn our
backs on God because of it.  We'll turn our backs on our brothers and
sisters in Christ because of the shame that we feel.  How can we forgive
others if we can't forgive ourselves.  How can we love others if we
don't love ourselves, how can we love God if we can't love ourselves? 

We are told to always speak nice about others, and not gossip, we're
taught that if we don't have anything nice to say then don't say
anything at all, but do we practice that when it comes to us?  Jesus
says:  Mathew 12:35 "36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may
speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. 37 For by
your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned".  So if by our words we will be justified or condemned, why do
we speak negative things to life?  If you call yourself a failure then
you're a failure and you won't be delivered, but if you say I will be
delivered from this and give it to God then you will be delivered.  We
expect it in our own time, instead of in God's time.  God knows that he
wants you to be delivered from your afflictions.  God doesn't want us to
keep sinning, but God also knows that we are human.  God knows that we
rely on him.  God wants us to know that we rely on him.  When God
delivers you from something he doesn't ever want you going back to it.
So when you keep on going to God eventually he'll make you so turned off
by the very thing that makes you stumble that you won't even think about
doing it again.  Some things are detrimental to us so he'll deliver us
from it right away.  Others we have to struggle with for awhile, but the
whole time we're struggling we're supposed to be going to God.  Paul
talks about this in his letter to the Corinthians in it he says:  2
Corinthians 12:7-10 "7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the
abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might
depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I
will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am
weak, then I am strong".  Paul said that he will boast in his
infirmities.  He boasted and praised God in everything that we will cry
about and beat ourselves up over.  We need to stop doing this.  We need
to praise God no matter what. 

Christians aren't supposed to have Low self esteem, Christians aren't
supposed to have a bad attitude at all, whether it's because of
something that somebody did against us, or what we did against
ourselves.  We can't sin, and then because of the sin, sin.  That
doesn't make since.  When you sin you're sinning against God, whether
you sin against a brother, or you sin against yourself, Paul also says
that:  1 Corinthians 3:16 "16 Do you not know that you are the temple of
God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  So if you are the temple
of God and you stumble, ask for forgiveness and move on don't talk down
about yourself, because when will it go from us beating ourselves up, to
us putting God down.  People know that we belong to God by our actions:
Mathew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your Father in heaven".  So we need to start doing
what we're called to do without any negative thoughts, whether directed
towards God or other people or ourselves.  If you stumble praise God,
because you know that eventually that'll be something that'll be taken
from you, at least you know what you stumble over:  Proverbs 4:19  "The
way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them
stumble+.  If you're happy praise God, if your sad Praise God, no matter
what Praise God, because in your Praise is redemption, in your Praise is
Love, in your Praise is God