Reflections on a Challenging Week

It’s only Tuesday, but it feels like it’s been a week already. Maybe you can relate? This week, I’ve been struck by some harsh realities—my own mistakes, failures, and sins, and how they’ve shaped where I am today. I’ve also been confronted with the impact of others’ mistakes, failures, and sins on my life. Judgement can be harsh, whether it’s directed at others or at the person in the mirror.

It’s so easy to wrap ourselves in a cloak of regret, shame, and guilt, weighed down by the “what ifs” and “should have Beens.” But living a half-life filled with this cloak is not living at all. It keeps us from experiencing the joy of today and the hope of the future.

Through years of counseling (and probably many more to come), I’m learning to view life through the lens of grace—grace for myself, grace for others, and grace for each situation. This week, I was reminded that even with the best intentions, people can still get hurt and misunderstandings can happen. We often see only one side of a multi-faceted situation, filtered through our past, trauma, hurts, egos, and agendas. Hindsight, though humbling, can sometimes make us proud or arrogant, thinking everyone else was wrong. But who gets it right 100% of the time? If that’s you, don’t tell me—I probably won’t like you! 😂

This week has also reminded me of what I value. I’ve had a glimpse of what it must be like for God to look at us, as I looked at one of my kids. Tomorrow is another opportunity. We can choose our reactions to whatever the day holds. We don’t have to create drama where there isn’t any. We don’t have to fix things that aren’t truly broken. We don’t have to walk around defeated or clothed in regret. Tomorrow, we can do better than today. We can forgive ourselves and others. We can seek forgiveness and offer it.