This will probably be one of my hardest testimonies that I will share, but the Holy Spirit has inspired me to do it. When I was 22 or 23 years of age, I forced my then Girlfriend to have an abortion. I was such a selfish person at the time and I didn’t think twice about doing it. I came to Christ when I was 35 and I remember how difficult it was to confess this Sin. Being that I am Catholic we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation and I would confess my Sin over and over to different Priest because I felt so guilty about it. Then during yet another confession the priest asked me If I had ever confessed this Sin and I said yes. He said to me that there was no need to confess my sin over and over again and that God had already Forgiven me and that I had to Forgive myself. He told me that what I should do was to give this baby a name and I named him Emmanuel which means God is with us. Now I know this is very difficult for some Christians to do and Forgiving yourself is about more than just putting the past behind you and moving on. It is about accepting what has happened and showing compassion to yourself. Facing what you have done or what has happened is the first step toward self-forgiveness. It’s also the hardest step.
Now I am not here today to debate wether or not we should confess our Sins to Priest. I am just so greatful to that Priest because his words of wisdom really helped me at a time when I was beginning my walk with Christ. Now that I am older and more mature in my Spirituality, I have learned that I can confess my Sins directly to God but there is a reason why the Catholic Church instituded the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Today I shared this with a brother who has been struggling with this and how he thought that Forgiving Yourself was a Selfish act and I am just want to give God the Glory for allowing me to share this lesson about Self-Forgiveness. Today because of my Experience with the Topic of Abortion, I am able to volunteer at a local clinic where I give council to young men who are considering abortion as a solution to there problems and share with them my personal testimony about how my decision greatly impacted my life. God has turned and used my Sin for something positive for he is a God of Restoration. Amen
Deuteronomy 30:3
God, your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were
