Moving Forward ─ Six Steps to Forgiving Yourself and Breaking Free from the Past

“I can never forgive myself,” she said. “Every time I think about it, I get sick to my stomach.”
I knew that feeling. I had felt it due to my own failures and shortcomings. I also knew I could help her, because I know that sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

The partial truth about us is hard to accept: We hurt those we love. We fail to step in when others need us most. We do wrong—and we need forgiveness. From others and from God, but also from ourselves.

But the full truth about us is liberating and freeing: while we are more deeply flawed than we can imagine, we also are far more valuable and cherished than we can comprehend. To reach the place of self-forgiveness, we must embrace this truth. The gift of God’s acceptance frees us from self-blame, guilt, and shame.

In this practical, inspiring book, Dr. Everett Worthington identifies six steps to forgiving yourself:
· Receive God’s forgiveness
· Repair relationships
· Rethink ruminations
· REACH emotional self-forgiveness
· Rebuild self-acceptance
· Resolve to live virtuously

Weaving his own story of struggling with his brother’s suicide and his overwhelming feelings of regret, together with psychological insight, scientific research, and biblical truth, Dr. Worthington opens a clear path to freedom from self-condemnation to self-acceptance and most importantly, to the full life that Christ promises.

EVERETT L. WORTHINGTON, JR, holds a PhD from the University of Missouri. He is professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and a licensed clinical psychologist. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, and The 700 Club and has been featured in award-winning documentaries on forgiveness. He has published more than thirty books on topics he has studied scientifically and clinically. Visit his website at www.forgiveself.com.