Seven Lessons I Have Learned: Lesson #5 – No One Is Too Bad For God To Forgive.
That very feeling that you might be too bad to forgive means that you have just the humble spirit God desires.
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Don’t ever think you are too bad for God’s forgiveness. In fact, that very feeling that you might be too bad to forgive means that you have just the humble spirit God desires.
It’s odd, isn’t it, that many of us think we ourselves are so bad that we doubt God’s forgiveness, and at the same time, hold thoughts of my last point, that we are often put off by the errors, misbeliefs, or misbehaviors of others, thinking perhaps that others are even worse than us.
Who do we think God is saving? We have already written off Mother Theresa as being Catholic. Who is left?
A few years ago, I saw a psychologist every week, in part, because I had those thoughts, that I was too bad. The psychologist happened to be a Jewish woman, actually from Israel. She spoke Hebrew as well as English, and kept a Hebrew Old Testament in her desk. We often got sidetracked on Bible subjects. She thought King David was so bad that he should be classified as a sociopath. And that (perhaps sociopath) David was the beginning of the dynasty of Christ. And you think YOU are too bad to save?
The Apostle Paul, who had murdered Christians, despite his special calling as an Apostle, felt he remained the chief of sinners.
So, if you feel you are too bad to save, you are in an illustrious company.
As a parent, I came to realize that there is nothing my children could do that would make me stop loving and forgiving them. If you are a parent, I’m sure you feel the same way. Should we think our heavenly Father is a less merciful parent than we?
It is good to be aware of our sinfulness. Yes, we really do need to do better. But none of us is too bad to be forgiven.
We can get in a downward spiral of thinking, and may need help to pull us out of it. It’s ironic that back when I was healthy, I was depressed. Now, when objectively I have more to be depressed about, I’m happy. I do not have the secret to happiness. There were no magical words, No, “Ah-hah!” moment when I became undepressed and happy again. But I got stuck in guilt, despair, and depression.
If you are having consistent thoughts that you are too bad, get professional help, as I did. Don’t think others might be better off without you. That kind of thinking is a key warning for you to get help in dealing with your problems, whatever they are. If you think you can’t afford professional counseling, tell someone. Ask for help. I know. I have been there. Those times when we feel that way, are the hardest times to reach out. Do it anyway.
It is no shame or lack of faith to admit that you need help. On the contrary, it takes faith and hope to reach out for help. James 5:16 tells us “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” That’s why God gave us each other, to help each other.
Our late brother, John MacDougall,
Portage Ecclesia, IN,
2021