{"id":1603,"date":"2017-08-11T20:49:40","date_gmt":"2017-08-12T01:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1603"},"modified":"2017-08-11T20:49:40","modified_gmt":"2017-08-12T01:49:40","slug":"snowballs-and-forgiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2017\/08\/11\/snowballs-and-forgiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Snowballs and Forgiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Picture<\/a>Snowballs and Forgiveness<\/b><\/h2>\n

by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

I mess up. \u00a0In big and little ways.\u00a0 I can judge people. Disrespect their boundaries. Poke my head in where it doesn\u2019t belong. I can be inconsiderate and rude.\u00a0 Selfish. Unforgiving. I can neglect my health, Indulge myself in a pity party. Waste time\u2026You get the idea. I mess up. A lot.<\/p>\n

And, when I realize I\u2019ve screwed up, I make it all worse by beating myself up.<\/h4>\n

\u201cWhy did you do that? you know better than that? What\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d \u00a0 And then, I pile on the guilt of past misdeeds, like I\u2019m wagging a finger at myself.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s just like the last time\u2026will you ever learn?…\u201d And\u00a0I have just started on my general sorry-ness.\u00a0 My favorite phrase at this stage of the self-guilt-trip is, \u201cI am not enough<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 I am not good enough, kind enough, considerate enough, productive enough, forgiving enough, _______ enough,.\u00a0 \u00a0 My accusations snowball into a huge mound of negative thinking that rolls over my hope. Pretty soon, I have convinced myself that, \u201cI am a bad person. I will never change.\u201d<\/p>\n

This dirty snowball that has barreled down the hill of my past failures, finally rolls to a stop at God\u2019s feet.\u00a0 I look up into His gentle, kind eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done it again, haven\u2019t I Father?\u201d, I say. (He nods) “I\u2019ve messed up, and then made it all worse by beating myself up, instead of remembering that I am forgiven and loved. Thank you, that You came to set me free of this condemnation.\u00a0 Remind me again, please, of who I am, and who You are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are, My precious child,\u201d He responds, \u201cso precious and valuable to Me that I was willing to give My life for you to be with me in eternity.\u00a0 Never forget that.\u00a0 I am more powerful than every evil in this world, and I love you.\u00a0 I have already paid for every single one of your transgressions\u2014past, present and future.\u00a0 Instead of trying to fix yourself, just leave this all at my feet, every day, and follow me.<\/p>\n

\u201cStart again, today, right now.\u00a0 Enjoy this day I have given you, and be at peace.\u00a0 Know that as you walk with me, I am healing you day by day. I am exposing Satan\u2019s lies and accusations and bringing you into increased truth in your life. So you can live as you were born to live:\u00a0 connected to me, accepted by me, made perfect by me, and used by me to love those who\u00a0cross your path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the heat of God\u2019s truth-light, my snowball of condemnation melts away,<\/h5>\n

until\u00a0all that remains is a little patch of dirt.\u00a0 He reaches out with His foot and scuffs it away, and then His gaze meets mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are your accusers?\u201d, He asks.<\/p>\n

\u201cGone,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

He nods, and then responds. \u201cSin no longer has power over you.\u00a0 I have broken that power. I have set you free from its hold. \u00a0 Walk in that freedom.\u00a0 Go and sin no more, remembering that I am right beside you every minute, protecting and guiding you in your journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

We share a smile. Then He throws His arm over my shoulder, and together we step back onto our path, talking and laughing as we stroll along.<\/p>\n

Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.\u00a0 Matthew 11:28<\/i><\/p>\n

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32<\/i><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Snowballs and Forgiveness by Lydia Floren I mess up. \u00a0In big and little ways.\u00a0 I can judge people. Disrespect their boundaries. Poke my head in where it doesn\u2019t belong. I can be inconsiderate and rude.\u00a0 Selfish. Unforgiving. I can neglect my health, Indulge myself in a pity party. Waste time\u2026You get the idea. I mess […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34,37],"class_list":["post-1603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-forgiveness","tag-patience"],"yoast_head":"\nSnowballs and Forgiveness - Belovedlove<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2017\/08\/11\/snowballs-and-forgiveness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Snowballs and Forgiveness - Belovedlove\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Snowballs and Forgiveness by Lydia Floren I mess up. \u00a0In big and little ways.\u00a0 I can judge people. 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