By Sharon Nelsen
I took that
to the Lord in prayer and discovered that I believed the lie, not the
truth. The Lord led me to look at what
was underneath the lie, what was keeping me from accepting the Peace God offers
me in those wonderful, merciful words.
To my surprise, what surfaced was that I needed to look more closely at
the differences between examining my conscience and self-judgment. To that end, the Holy Spirit activated this understanding:
Examination of Conscience
1. Taking time to reflect on my motivations and acts
2. Believing “I have power and freedom to choose/decide.”
3. Desiring growth/challenge
4. Acting in the conviction that God is with me
5. Free to admit errors
6. Empowering
7. Encouraging
8. Affirming
9. Owns true self
10. Delights in one’s humanity
Self-judgment
Reacting to immediate accusations, “I should have…”
Believing “I am a victim; I really have no choice.”
Avoiding growth/challenge
Acting as if God is my adversary, against me
Fear of “being wrong”
Weakening
Discouraging
Condemning
Denies true self
Resents being human
If I believe the lies associated with self-judgment, then I will avoid healthy reflection on my acts. To help me change my habit, the Holy Spirit inspired me with a “Once Again Prayer”:
Dear Merciful, Compassionate Divine Friend,
Once again
I have fallen short
Once again
I ask your forgiveness
Once again
I rely on your mercy
Once again
I ask for Your Grace that I may
Once again
Serve you with my whole heart, my whole soul, my whole being
Once again
I give You the praise and the glory for all the good you have worked through me and will
Once again
Continue to work through me in spite of my faults and weaknesses.
Once again
I thank you, Dear Triune God, for being with me. Amen!
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