Seventh Day of Lent
O God,
Help us to repent of being too hard on ourselves.
While sorrow over our sins is appropriate and while repentance of our sins is necessary, some of us take such sorrow and repentance to unnecessary and unhealthy extremes.
Some of us continue to beat ourselves up over sins for which you long ago forgave us. Some of us have never learned to take your grace to heart so that we can forgive ourselves. Some of us are far better at forgiving others than we are at forgiving ourselves. Some of us are able to accept the failings of others far better than we are able to accept our own.
Thank you that we take our sins seriously; thank you that we do not presume upon your mercy.
But help us to remember that we are your beloved children. Help us to be so aware of your grace and mercy that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you forgive us and that you want us to forgive ourselves. Help us not to practice a flawed spirituality that finds value and even comfort in self-flagellation.
Instead let your grace, love, and mercy be so real to us that we will live more and more in the peace of our own healing …
Amen.
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