Forgiveness!

I am super proud of our kids!

I like to boast to people about them, so much so that I often embarrass them!

But if I was going to be completely honest….they are not perfect. Sorry Mum & Dad if you are reading this, I didn’t mean to shatter the illusion of your perfect grandkids! Actually like all kids, they often make mistakes.

But you know what? When Gracie apologizes for doing something wrong, I don’t remind her of all the things she has ever done wrong in her life. I don’t drag up the past and say things like “Now poppet, you know I love you, but do you remember that time when you were 3 and you drew a picture for daddy, on his car, with a rock! Or that time when you were 4 and you threw a huge wobbly because I wouldn’t buy you a Polly Pocket. Honey, I love you, but I need to remind you constantly of all the bad things you have ever done. Nope instead, I remind her of all the reasons we are proud of her and how much we love her.

In the same way, I don’t say to Jackson “Dude, I love you, but again I must remind you of that time you pushed Gracie off her bike when you were 4 and she grazed her face badly the day before her birthday, or the time you turned off the freezer and we lost everything in it.  Yes, I love you, but I need to remind you constantly of all the bad things you have done! Again, we try and uplift Jackson and remind him of all the good things he has done.

I don’t expect the kids to apologize to us every day and ask forgiveness for things they did 10 years ago. We don’t hold on to things and we don’t expect the kids to either!

That’s the way God is with us!

As much as I love our kids, God loves us beyond comprehension! He doesn’t hold on to all the wrong things we have done. He doesn’t constantly remind us of all the times we have stuffed up.

Actually, we were forgiven once and for all at The Cross.

God is super proud of us. He wants to remind us of all the good we have done, to encourage us and uplift us, and, I just want to add here, that if you are hearing anything different you are listening to the wrong voices. Condemnation is not from God, no matter how gentle it may seem, or what it sounds like.

Sometimes I come before God and spend the whole time apologizing for all the wrong things I have done, all the things I have neglected to do, and all the things I haven’t gotten right. When really, all he wants to do is tell me how much I mean to him and how much he loves me! I need to learn to stop beating myself up.

So next time you’re chatting with God, don’t drag up all the things you have ever done wrong. God isn’t interested in your past wrongs, you are forgiven for those. Look to the future and be the best person you know he created you to be!