Recently I lost quite a huge sum of money to a con artist who pretended to be a Christian. 

I was deeply hurt, and I went through the various stages of grief to get over my profound loss. What surprised me was how difficult it was for me to forgive myself for failing to ask for God’s direction when investing my money. 

I had been a poor steward of the gifts he had blessed me with. But I realised that in order for me to accept God’s forgiveness, I had to forgive myself and realise that he still loves me!

A gift is beneficial only when it is accepted, and God is willing to draw us to himself. He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He forgives us when we fall into sin if we sincerely repent. Psalm 51:17 says, ‘A broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.’

When I let go of my guilt and let God work in my life, revealing that divine love for me, I felt an overwhelming sense of his presence. After all, God loves me not because I do good things but because I am his child, someone for whom Christ died. And his love is for all of us.

Prayer: O loving Father, help us to realise that you love us dearly and that your grace has no end. Amen