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    When You Can’t Forgive Yourself

    “I know that God forgives me, but I can’t forgive myself.” Lots of people find themselves trapped in self-recriminations, overwhelmed by regret and sorrow for things they have done (or not done). They beat themselves up, often secretly hoping this will make up for their sin. But they can’t get past it. You can read the Bible from cover to cover and not find a single instruction on forgiving oneself. That’s because it’s not there. We don’t have the power to forgive ourselves. It’s like trying to separate ourselves from our shadow. As I understand it, this idea comes from humanistic psychology. For millennia, people have recognized the freedom and…