Cut Yourself Some Slack!

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This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13

A little boy came home one day with his clothes all muddy so his Mum sent him to the basement to drop them into the washing machine. Later, thinking things were a bit too quiet, she shouted, 'Young man, I hope you're not down there running around in your underwear.' Imagine her embarrassment when a strange voice replied: 'No ma'am, I'm down here servicing your furnace.' 

James says, '...we all make...mistakes...' (James 3:2 NLT). The trick is learning to forgive yourself. Much of the time we're guilty of doing the wrong thing with the right motive. Remember the famous 'leaning tower of Pisa' in Italy, where the architect designed a 10-foot deep foundation for a 179-foot tall building? How would you like that on your CV? The Apostle Paul said, 'No...I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing...on...Forgetting the past and looking forward...' (Philippians 3:13 NLT). 

Chuck Swindoll writes: 'Show me the guy who wrote the rules for perfectionism, and I'll guarantee he's a nail biter with a face full of tics...whose wife dreads to see him come home.' God said, '"I...am He who blots away your sins...and will never think of them again"' (Isaiah 43:25 TLB). Now, if God is willing to pardon your mistakes and even bury them, isn't it time you stopped beating yourself up, received His grace and moved on?

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.