Are You Too Hard on Yourself???

I have a feeling that I am not the only person who has a list of things I wish I should not have done, or said, or thought in my life. Sometimes my mind will suddenly remind me of something I did back in middle school and I start beating myself up mentally for it yelling silently “why did I do that”, “what was I thinking” then insecurity and lack of confidence sets in. Or mistakes in later life, in general doing what I thought was right, and not what is in a plan for a happy life.

God can deliver you from being too hard on yourself, and he desperately wants to remind you of His strengths being made perfect in your weaknesses. We all have weaknesses, in fact we all say and do things we wish we wouldn’t have on a daily basis. However when you allow your mind to consume you with criticisms you slide into self-defeat and ultimately a self-consumption of you and only you. Instead of thinking how others might be feeling you begin thinking how you are feeling. Usually, at least in my case, my prayer life would even be flooded with prayers about myself and my failures, not the needs of people around me.

Finally I had to come to a point where I was ready to stop wishing I could change the past. It’s impossible for us to change the past and what we have done, but God can make all things work together for good – including our mistakes.

Perhaps you are hard on yourself for something you said or did to someone, in this case you can do the right thing by asking for their forgiveness, forgive yourself and move forward. You can start being easier on yourself as you let God begin to release you from the bondage of holding yourself hostage in the past. He will release you and show you how you can move forward.

I also bet I am not the only person who is quicker to forgive others than myself. It was powerful for me to realize that by not forgiving myself for my mistakes, I was being prideful and having a hardened heart. If I believe God has forgiven me and covered all my sins but refuse to forgive myself, I am fighting against Him who died to set me free! He wants to set me free, he died for that, so I need be willing to help him in the process of making me more and more like Him.

As I worked through my negative and harsh criticisms I began to rely more and more on God’s promises. I don’t have to think constantly about what I could have done but rather what God has done in my life! That is the key I have found – think about what God has done in your life and what he is continuing to do. You may have a long way to go but thank God you are moving forward! 

Posted in: Faith,Life,Self-motivation