If you have a Dream...

Someone sent this to me the other day, and it was sent at the exact moment that I needed to hear it:

Don't wait for some distant day to come,it may be too late before you've even begun.Not everyone will agree with all you decide.

Be true to yourself first and foremost.The only important thing in life is what you dowith the time you spend here on earth.

Don't be afraid to follow your desires,they are not silly nor selfish.Take the time and do what makes you feel alive.

Leave your fears and regrets in the past,for this is where they belong.Don't cloud today with things that can't be undone.

You have no more control over yesterday or tomorrow,than you do the raging of your passions.Do not quiet these dreams nor quench your desires.

For if you do, your journey is ended.You have only today to begin anew and follow your dreams.For in the end all we have are our memories.

When the twilight comes to us, let there be,

No excuses, no explanations, no regrets!
~Author Unknown~

Sometimes I feel that I have made the biggest mistakes in life, but I have to learn to let go, to forgive myself, to move on. I constantly have to tell myself that I have learned from the mistakes I have done wrong. I grow from those, become a better person because of it. I know what I will NOT do in the future.

Why is it so hard to forgive YOURSELF???

It's so easy to say, "I forgive you" to everyone else, but we beat ourselves up over the things we have done. We never learn to say those three words to ourselves. Even God says he forgives and forgets. He moves on. He wants us to live for the here and now, not constantly think about the past and our regrets.

I'm finding this very difficult to do. Until I can finally forgive myself, only then will I be able to truly love others, to open my heart and live with abandon. My regrets are holding me back from doing the things I need to do in life, from being exuberantly happy.

My cautious and anxiety driven lifestyle keeps me from doing the things I want to do the most. Of course I have to be careful about the things I do, but I can't let my worries, fears, regrets, and guilt weigh me down.

I have freedom in Christ! He has saved me from my sins, from my regrets and mistakes!! He died for me when I didn't even deserve it, yet I still can't figure out a way to let go.

Humanity is such a complicated thing. Sometimes I feel my humanity to the point where I am overcome with so much shame and guilt. Those are the times when I know that God is saying, "Come here, Ashleigh. Rest in me. Lay all your burdens on me. I can carry them for you. You don't have to do it all on your own. Tell me your troubles. Confide in me. Let me help you. "

It's His way of saying, "relax...slow down...delight in me and my words that you will read in your Bible. Know that you are forgiven. I have given you grace even when you don't deserve it, because I love you."

God's grace abounds, and He offers it freely. I have come to understand it in a totally new way this past year. In a way that makes me grateful every time we sing about it in church, or I read about it in my Bible.

Thank you, God, for forgiveness and grace!! Help me now to forgive myself and live free of regret!
I love you, Father!

Love, Ash