When
in your life were you most disappointed with yourself? (Serendipity
Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, page 1422).
This
is a difficult question to answer because when I look back upon my
past when I have not faced my responsibilities as a man of God I
always find extenuating circumstances that yield a certain kindness
to my self judgment. For example, as an undergraduate, I was less
studious than was ideal. Looking at it from one point of view, it
would seem evident that I was lazy or shirked responsibility. However
when I look back upon it I tend to forgive myself for I was operating
under intense psychological pressures. Looking back upon it, to be
quite frank, I'm really amazed that I did as well as I did and held
in the fight to the extent that I did. Ironically, one of my key
failures at the time as I perceive it now was that I would not – in
one sense of the word – sin. In other words I had opportunities to
have sexual relations with the opposite sex but was compelled not to
do so. In some sense, I think of this as a failure even though it
would have been fornication from my point of view at the time. I only
ask for forgiveness for sins of omission and commission at all times
in my life and I feel certain that God forgives me because of my
inherent human limitations to always see clearly the good.
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