Hi friend, I’ve been thinking about how to share some relieving news with you. This kind of news ends the self-loathing conversations you have with yourself from time to time. So I came up with a “Gina proverb” for you; here goes:
Four things are unforgettable, but one is unbearable: A girl’s first kiss, her wedding day, the birth of a child and a grave mistake.
Are you following me? The word unforgettable is not always the Nat King Cole kind. Sometimes, we can’t forget a terrible miscalculation or a horrible misunderstanding. It just keeps playing over and over in our minds like a chicken in a rotisserie. Did you know there is a word for what I just described? It’s called ruminating and the internet says this about it:
Ruminating thoughts are excessive and intrusive thoughts about negative experiences and feelings…and they may persistently think negative, self-defeating thoughts.
This dreadful experience I can relate to, and I LOATHE it. What about you? Have you ever been minding your own business and out of the blue comes a painful memory birthed from a mistake, and leads you into hours to days of cringing over it? Perhaps it was a bad ending to a relationship where you were at fault? Or possibly, it was an embarrassing moment that keeps on haunting you? Friend, we’ve got to stop this nonsense.
Thus, I have another “Gina proverb”
Three things every person hates and will often ruminate: a past mistake, an offense, and an embarrassing snafu.
I have made some past mistakes that I am prone to ruminate over and over in my mind. I’ve offended others. I’ve had my share of embarrassing moments. I often replay the most painful scenes from them in my mind. Sometimes, I cry. Sometimes, I go to bed. Sometimes, I feel gut-punched. Sometimes, I just want to run and hide. Does any of this sound like you, too?
Well then, you will be interested to hear my last “Gina proverb”
Three things God can forgive and forget: your past mistake, offense, and embarrassing snafu.
Yep He can; I don’t know how He does it! But here is an awesome thing I do know from Hebrews 11:16-17:
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”
I hope I can help you get this like I got it… know this girlfriend…God forever marks your heart and mind with Himself, and then takes away your sins and remembers them no more. This means that you are literally off the rotisserie hook! God wants us to only think about Him and His goodness when tempted to think about our guilt, shame and embarrassment over and over again. He takes away all of our mistakes, offenses and embarrassing snafus and….forgets them… for us! I may not know how He does it, but I am learning that He does do it for us. And it is in this, I am learning to break the grip of guilt, shame, and embarrassment over me.
God has given some things in His Word to help us overcome our past mistakes, offenses and embarrassing snafus, and I would love to take you deeper in understanding what they are in my free webinar on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Click HERE to join me.
To my Women’s Ministry Leaders, you already know how we women allow these things to hold us back. And it is possible that this very thing is keeping some of your women from serving in ministry. Consider teaching on this topic to help your group feel freed up by God’s Word to serve in church. I hope you can join my upcoming free webinar.
For my prayer journalers of Organizing Your Prayer Closet,
In the section of Freedom and Forgiveness, I encourage you to draw red hearts over any entries that ruminate in your mind. The red heart will represent the blood of Jesus and remind you of the scripture above, which says God has imprinted Himself on your heart and mind. Give God your failings and He will forgive and forget them for you, I promise!
