Why is it so hard to forgive ourselves? Forgiveness, whether it is for ourselves or for others is not the easiest. We know that, and yet we still carry so much on our own shoulders, and we refuse to let go. What have you been holding onto? Past mistakes? Regrets? Past arguments? The thing about the past is, that no matter how hard we try, or how much we wish it didn’t happen, it doesn’t change the fact that it did. The tighter we hold on to it, the more damage it can do to our future. Bad things happen, we wish didn’t, but they do. I have a broken relationship in my family, there are days that I wish I could take back the words that were said, or how I acted in the aftermath, but I can’t. However, just as I forgave the person I got into this argument with, I can also learn to forgive myself, and so can you. Life is messy, but it’s also what keeps things interesting. God gives you things that might be hard to handle, but that is because he is right there with you, ready to take it on with you. We are going to fall, but when we get back up we end up wiser than before. So yeah, you might have some things that you wish you could change, but would you be the person you are right now if you did? All we can do as we move forward, is to first forgive, both ourselves and the other parties involved, find the lessons, and let go. That last part is really important, God is there to take your burdens, you don’t have to carry them forever. It’s not selfish to forgive yourself, it’s actually a big step in our healing process. Let’s try to be a little more gracious to ourselves.