A New Year's Resolution for All

"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them."
~ Hosea 14: 4

I wish that I could say I have no regrets, but that would not be true. I think we all have things, choices, events, words... the list goes on into infinity, that we have experienced, that we have hesitation about "after the fact."

The hindsight syndrome can leave us with many feelings and may cause us to "should" on ourselves. For example, "I should have done this or that instead."

The wonderful thing about forgiveness is that it is real. The value of knowing that poor choices can be opportunities for God's grace to take action, can be a powerful tool for moving forward with your life.

The issue is when we don't embrace the forgiveness, change the way we see something, and then most importantly, forgive ourselves.

It's a challenge at times to forgive others when they have made choices that personally harm us, but it's even more important that when it is our own doing, that's when we must truly allow forgiveness to take place personally.

The Scottish poet Robert Burns in the late 18th century wrote the poem many will sing parts of on New Years. Auld Lang Syne is about remembering friendships and that taking one another's hands and drinking to each other's health will be the theme. One thing that should be part of this, is in that remembrance, seeking forgiveness if there has been wrong, but also, letting God's grace take hold of yourself.

Everyone's New Year's resolution should include learning to forgive yourself.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017