When it comes to forgiveness, we often talk about forgiving others. This is an important and essential thing to do. It is not always easy to forgive others if they have wronged us. Forgiving others brings a release and a sense of peace. It can be even more difficult to forgive yourself for mistakes that you have made in the past. It can be difficult to find peace after you have felt true remorse for the mistakes that you have made.
The Atonement allows you to find true peace as you forsake your sins. It can help you to change your behavior and seek a better way of life. It gives you a fresh start when you are ready. It does take effort to repent of your sins, and the process is rarely complete in one single prayer or action. It takes time to change your life, and find forgiveness from the Lord.
Once you have found forgiveness from the Lord, and really during that process, you should be able to forgive yourself for making the mistake that you did. It is important to realize that the Lord loves you no matter what. You need to respect yourself and care for yourself enough that you let go of past mistakes. When you dwell continually on the mistakes that you have made you are doing yourself a disservice. You should learn from those mistakes and then move forward.
If you are having a hard time forgiving yourself, you may want to talk to your bishop about it. He can talk about the repentance process, and the gift of forgiveness. He may be able to point out an additional area that you need to change or just help you understand that it is okay to let go of the pain and regret. The gift of the Atonement is available for everyone.
Related Articles:
General Conference: “The Healing Power of Forgiveness”
Repentance
Are You Starving Yourself Spiritually?