We can be harder on ourselves than anyone else would ever be.

We have these standards we wish to live up to each day. Unfortunately, being a Christian can make it worse as the bar is set higher for us by following Jesus.

Every day we rise, hoping that today will be this perfect day.  Today, our attitude will be positive, our words will be sweet, and our actions will be all God desires from us.

And then we fall short.  We get frustrated and even angry with ourselves. Our minds and souls become filled with regret, shame, remorse, disappointment, and guilt.  Our conscience weighs us down, and it comes out in negative emotions toward the people around us. 

As a follower of Jesus, we believe in God’s grace.  His unmerited favor and forgiveness toward humanity.  But do we believe that this grace extends to us?  This is not an attempt to excuse our sins nor dismiss the need to change and grow.  It is simply allowing the sacrifice of Jesus to be enough for everyone.

Many of us punish ourselves for our failures because we know the right thing to do and yet fail to live up to the standard.  We have intimate details on each mistake and shortcoming.  We understand the depths of our depravity, and it fills us with shame.  The good news of the gospel is that God forgives the sins of everyone, including us.  Often the most difficult person to convince they have grace and forgiveness is ourselves.