Day 6: Your History Does Not Have to Be Your Identity

“If you have made mistakes, even serious mistakes, you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
-Mary Pickford

So many women quietly define themselves by their past:
a divorce… parenting regrets… health struggles… financial mistakes… poor decisions… an abortion.

If you’re struggling to forgive yourself, you have to hear this: What Jesus did on the cross was enough for you to be fully forgiven by God and yourself. Don’t minimize what He did by holding onto what He has already covered.

God knew we would never be perfect. He knew we would make mistakes, and that is why His plan always included the cross.

But there’s another layer here: receiving God’s forgiveness is one thing. Forgiving yourself is another.

When you carry unforgiveness, whether toward yourself or someone else, it negatively impacts your health. Research shows that chronic unforgiveness increases stress hormones, elevates blood pressure, disturbs sleep, and weakens immune function. In addition, it will keep you stuck in shame and get in the way of intimacy with God.

When we replay old wounds or rehearse old mistakes, our bodies don’t know the difference between a present threat and a past one. We live in a constant state of internal tension.

When you offer yourself forgiveness, you are not saying what you did was OK. You are choosing to release the shame that comes from it and understand that, with God’s help, you can learn from it and, at times, even use it for good.

I was listening to Tim Keller, and he talked about Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

He shared that the good that can come from our struggles is that we can choose to draw closer to God and become more of the person He created us to be.

God can also use the very things we wish we could erase to help others. I’ve heard from people who have used the pain of addiction to help others who struggle with addiction, and women who have experienced the impact of an abortion to help others.

Today’s movement video is to one of my all-time favorite songs, “That’ll Preach” by Zach Williams. All the lyrics are fantastic, but let this sink in:

He turned my mess into a message
Cause when you're saved
Called by name
Forgiven and set free
That'll preach

If we’re open to it, I believe God will take your “mess” and turn it into a powerful message.

Let today be the day you forgive yourself and stop punishing yourself for something Jesus already went to the cross for.

Make sure to listen to today’s video message, where I share my own story of shame, forgiveness, and moving forward.

(HIGHLY) Recommended Podcast

Susie Larson and Jamie Winship on Your True Identity