Wednesday, March 17, 2010

It's Not Too Late to Re-Commit

It's week four of Lent and if you are anything like me you may be struggling with your Lenten sacrifice. Personally, I planned to give up negative self-talk and impatience.

Ironically, when I fail to do these things, I tend to beat myself up for falling short.

I am not patient with myself.

At these moments, it is tempting to become stuck in a cycle and quit. You may think "well, I screwed this up. I think I will just throw in the towel."

For me, my mistakes provided an opportunity to practice what I preached at the beginning of Lent.

So now, instead of beating myself up when I fall short, I remind myself I can simply start over.

Re-commit.

In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus reminds us we cannot condemn one another since none of us is perfect.

He also tells us He forgives us and encourages us to re-commit. “Neither do I condemn you.Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” (John 8)

We often can forget this also applies to our condemnation of ourselves. If we mess up, we need to remember that Jesus forgives us instantly.

We must also forgive ourselves and continue trying to make better choices.

So this week, practice forgiving yourselves for your mistakes and re-commit to living a better life.

"Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."