To Forgive, Divine

First of all, thanks to those who've let me know you're reading and enjoying this blog; it really makes it worth the effort :)

There is a quote which states "To err is human; to forgive, divine."  My interpretation of the first part is: due to human nature, we will make mistakes.  No one is perfect; it's a matter of when, not if, we are bound to do something wrong.  And while everyone makes mistakes, not everyone is equipped to forgive others their shortcomings.  This is where the second section of the saying comes in.  While it's within human nature to err, learning to forgive is often something which fails to come naturally.  It's an attribute worthy to strive towards, one that will elevate us a to a higher level of living.

While we recognize the importance of forgiving others, how often do we realize the necessity of applying this concept to ourselves.  I would even like to argue that in order to fully be able to forgive others, we must first be able to move beyond our own shortcomings.

What is the danger of hanging on to past mistakes?  An example that comes to mind is when I played basketball in high school.  I worked hard and had some natural ability, yet during my sophomore and junior years, I often found myself on the bench for varsity games.  I stressed and wondered why I didn't play more minutes.  After analyzing my performance, I came to a startling conclusion - I had been responsible for the coach's hesitance to play me.  I realized that whenever I made a mistake while playing, I was obsessively worried and focused about what I'd done.  Instead of moving on, I was stuck replaying what had gone wrong, becoming an ineffectual player for the remainder of the game.  Luckily, I was able to adjust my mindset during my senior year, and as a result, played more minutes and even started some games.

In life, how often are we trapped or paralyzed by holding on to our past mistakes, basically taking ourselves "out of the game"?  Life goes on whether we're prepared or not, so it's up to us to forgive ourselves, forget our mistakes, and once more became an effective player.

What things prevent us from self forgiveness?  The following behaviors are some I have personally struggled with:

• unrealistic expectations
• feelings of unworthiness
• focusing on what others might think 

This type of thinking is negative and can be extremely detrimental to personal forgiveness and growth.  It takes desire, consistency, and effort to overcome these tendencies - but it can be done!

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's okay to do anything you want without care for the  consequences.  There are mistakes which definitely need to be rectified, especially those that affect your relationships with others.  I recommend that you do what you can to fix it, try never to do it again, and then move on. 

After all, YOU are the most important player in your game of life... and it's just not worth taking yourself indefinitely out of the game.