By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Put on your rhino skin and lace up your courageous boots. The time has come to walk through self-forgiveness and enter the world of peace of mind. The journey may be rough. Tears may fall. A few scrapes and bruises might draw a gasp. But if we refuse to step into the mire, we’ll never experience the elation of broken chains.

We’ve all said and done inexcusable things that seep with regret and ooze with self-loathing. Embarrassment, humiliation, and disappointing actions seize us whenever the situation enters our minds.

Courage to Walk Through Self-Forgiveness

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Depression can set in, like a dark shadow. We physically hurt. A lump stays fixed in our throats. We’re afraid to tell anyone. Counseling is out of the question because the therapist might think badly of us.

Instead of unloading the junk from our hearts and minds, we keep rearranging the details and reliving things we simply can’t walk away from. Let’s face it. We all have those painful moments. But how we handle the ugliness of our lives shows who we really are. Do we long to be strong or cower into a pitiful mess?

Being chained to the past means the suffering person never experiences freedom. Only when we are able to face the problem, deal with the issues rationally, and take positive steps to move ahead does truth have an opportunity to surface and true forgiveness wraps around our hearts. When we can clear our vision, optimism has an opportunity to take root inside us where it counts.

Hope is knowing God’s hand grips ours.

Get the picture?

Let God show us His unconditional love.

Here is a truth for us to grasp.

Romans 8:1 ESV – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.”

We long to rid ourselves of the chains yet we feel we deserve the condemnation. What if someone finds out? Is God the only One who knows my inner faults? Is the only way to forget, to shove it out of our mind?

Scripture says it beautifully.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Friends, the above means for us to get past the most-horrible-thing and live for God.

The following 11 steps to emotional wholeness can get us marching in the right direction:

Stop the bitter self-condemnation. Face the problem now.
Accept the inexcusable words or actions that have you chained to misery. David’s Psalm 51 shows how he grieved his sin and begged God to create a new heart within him.
Confess to God the circumstances and ask His forgiveness with a determination that through His help, the action will not happen again.
Understand God doesn’t want you miserable. His desire is for you to live in joy and freedom from emotional pain.
Consult with a friend or a Christian counselor. Be transparent and trust in patient confidentiality.
Search out the person or persons offended and ask for forgiveness, unless it might cause further harm. If they are no longer living, write them a letter and destroy it.
Eliminate the word impossible from your database. Through our heavenly Father, we can forgive ourselves to achieve emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Release the hurt and pain. Some people close their eyes and envision tossing the happening into the sea. However, you choose to walk in freedom, do it.
Learn from the mistake and be willing to help others who’ve walked through the same ugliness. Embrace healing with a positive attitude.
Look for ways the past can be a blessing to others. Share what God has done for you.
Repeat when necessary. Growing in Christ isn’t a one-time event.