(Psalm 103:8-12) The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

When Jesus’ work of taking on the sins of the world was finished, he ascended into heaven.  I like to think that he left behind a vacuum that draws away our sins.  This vacuum is available for all those who receive him as their savior.  This vacuum takes our sins from us and sends them to the place of forgotten.  Unfortunately, through pride and inability to accept this forgiveness, we hold on to certain of our sins.

I speak from experience when I address this subject.  Nothing good comes from holding on to already forgiven sins.  Going back and fixing those sins is only possible in the imagination.  I definitely would change things if it were possible, but holding on to sins only kept me from experiencing the freedom for which Jesus paid such high price. Jesus paid for all sins no matter how egregious.

So, I humbled myself and surrendered those sins to my savior.  It took some time, but eventually I was able to receive the forgiveness God had afforded me.  The value of this struggle with accepting forgiveness brought me closer to my Savior and improved my understanding of his love for me.  It was worth the effort because I learned to forgive myself.  Forgiving yourself is a humbling experience that leads to realizing freedom in Jesus.

If you are in this situation, my advice is to let that vacuum finish removing your sins.  The damage your former sins caused is done.  You can’t fix the past.  Don’t let pride keep you from accepting forgiveness. God has forgiven and forgotten all our sins.  It is alright to live in the freedom Jesus bought for you.