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| Lake Michigan, Empire, Michigan |
I’m re-reading my highlights and notes from one of the best
books on self-forgiveness there is – by clinical psychologist Everett
Worthington (Virginia Commonwealth University). There are so many things
Worthington says that I need to remember. Yes, I have struggled at times with
self-forgiveness. You have as well, right?
Some find it hard to approach God while wallowing in the
mire of self-condemnation. Worthington helps me by reminding me of an important
distinction. He writes:
“Think about Jesus’s response to a woman caught in
adultery: “Then neither do I condemn you.… Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(John 8: 11). God is more interested in restorative justice than in punitive
justice.“ (Worthington Jr, Moving Forward: Six Steps to Forgiving Yourself and Breaking Free from the Past, Kindle
Locations 756-757)
God’s desire is always to rescue, release, and restore, not
to add more locks to the prison cell we inhabit.
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My new book is Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God.
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My new book is Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God.
