![\"Self](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tomme-stevenson.com\/website\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Self-Forgiveness-081926-scaled.png?resize=525%2C187&ssl=1\")
One unfortunate aspect of God\u2019s love is that He allows us to experience the natural consequences of our sin. If there were no consequences, we would not learn to avoid sin. Sometimes the consequences last long after we have repented.<\/p>\nOne unfortunate aspect of God\u2019s love is that He allows us to experience the natural consequences of our sin. If there were no consequences, we would not learn to avoid sin. Sometimes the consequences last long after we have repented.<\/p>\n
1 Peter 5:10, <\/strong>\u201cAnd the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.\u201d<\/p>\n I know that, in my life, it means I live with some regrets. There are things I did before I knew Christ that still leave a stain on my life. I know the repercussions are my fault, but that doesn\u2019t make them any less painful. I wonder sometimes how long I have to continue to live with the consequences. The truth is, maybe the rest of my life. Some sins affect us that way.<\/p>\n As Christians, especially when dealing with other Christians, we feel we should be forgiven. It is what Christ expects of us when we are offended. Why shouldn\u2019t we expect it from others? Life isn\u2019t that simple. God forgives; we don\u2019t necessarily forgive ourselves.<\/p>\n Hebrews 8:12<\/strong>, \u201cFor I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.\u201d<\/p>\n There are many reasons the consequences linger. Sometimes the offended party has moved on. They no longer see the offense. It is a thing of the past that does not need revisiting. It is not forgiveness; it is acceptance. At other times, the offended person has forgiven but does not want to risk being hurt again. They don\u2019t hold on to the hurt; they simply don\u2019t want to open themselves up to it again. Then there is the obvious: we earned it.<\/p>\n Proverbs 4:23,<\/strong> \u201cAbove all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.\u201d<\/p>\n The “we earned it” part is the hardest. It is an acknowledgment that this is on us. We built this house; we have to live in it. That belief can lead to depression or worse. Holding on to the truth that we somehow deserve what we are getting can drag us down. This fatalism carries a sense of finality. We submit to our circumstances. Fractured relationships may never become whole; they just become less broken.<\/p>\n Colossians 3:3<\/strong>, \u201cFor you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.\u201d<\/p>\n These consequences are not God punishing us for disobedience. They are the natural consequences of living in a fallen world. Sin brings correction. Don\u2019t mistake God’s course correction for us when He sees the need. By definition, it is not punishment but a means of putting us on the right path, sometimes with rebuke.<\/p>\n The biggest sins are not momentary lapses of control, such as anger or an outburst of discompassionate honesty. They are environmental sins, those that manifest as repetitive behavior over time. We become someone we shouldn\u2019t be. These circumstances are hard to mend. Trust is fragile.<\/p>\n