Seeking Forgiveness: Definitely Not an Easy Task

Life lessons, though necessary, are always hard to learn. We go about our days not giving much thought to our actions and thinking that we are doing the right thing to some extent. That is until somebody brings our flaws to light, and we realize that we have hurt somebody drastically and were not even aware. This is much like what Paul reveals in Romans 7:15, which states, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

I don’t know about any of you, but when something like this is brought to my attention, I’m completely devastated. A whirlwind of emotions will flow through me, but my knee-jerk reaction is always to just want to run away. The band, Addison Road, expresses this in the following lyrics:
"Run just as fast as you can
Run, 'til you reach the end
Where the fallen finally land
And your world starts over again." 

I think it is mere instinct that we just want to detach ourselves immediately from the situation so that we don’t have to face the facts. This is by no means the right way to handle such occasions; I am just stating that the idea is always in the forefront of my mind. 

After analyzing a difficult situation that you have ended up in due to your actions, whether accidental or on purpose, the best thing to do is take some time to think over the proper way to respond. One should refrain from lashing out in anger, because that will only serve as a means of exacerbating the issue. As difficult as it may be, the only proper response is to seek forgiveness. We must seek forgiveness from God for slipping up and not following in His ways. We must seek forgiveness from the person we have hurt. And we must also forgive ourselves.

Seeking forgiveness is by no means an easy task. The thought of the all-perfect God makes anybody shudder and feel unworthy of His grace, but we must seek His forgiveness in order to be restored. His mercy is plentiful and if we sincerely seek forgiveness from God, He will provide it. Seeking forgiveness from the person whom we have hurt is another difficult task. It is necessary to humble oneself, accept that we are wrong and hope that the person will, in time, find it in their heart to believe we are sorry and grant us forgiveness. 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 illustrates how and why this should occur. The verses go as follows: “If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.”

Searching for forgiveness in any realm is difficult. I hate knowing and admitting to my own screw-ups, but it is necessary. The hardest part for me, though, is forgiving myself. I am my most difficult critic, and I have a tendency to overanalyze my failures. I play the “what if” game far too often and grapple over what I could have or should have done better, instead of trying to look towards the future for hope. So for now, I will look at tomorrow as a new day to try and work on the lessons I have learned and put my hope in the Lord.

"Everything rides on hope now 

Everything rides on faith somehow 
When the world has broken me down 
Your love sets me free."
~Addison Road