Stop blaming yourself.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” Luke 6:37, NIV.

One of the worst things any woman can experience is guilt from knowing she wasn’t the kind of mother she needed to be for her children. She can think to herself, “If only I would have been a better mother, my children would not be the way they are today.” I’ve seen guilt-ridden mothers refuse to live their life because of their past failures. As if the bitter resentment of their children isn’t enough, these women punish themselves by refusing to be happy, healthy and enjoy their lives.

The truth is, everyone has been given by God the freedom to choose how they will live their life. No one goes to hell because their mother was a bad mother. What sends us to an eternity in hell is our own personal rejection of Jesus. We are responsible for our lives and how we choose to live them despite the mistakes of our parents.

It is time for mothers to forgive themselves and go on to enjoy the rest of their days on this earth. It is also time for grown children to forgive their parents for what they did or didn’t do, and accept responsibility for their own life choices.

Prayer: Father God, I ask that you heal the heart of every mother who is blaming herself for her children’s mistakes. Minister healing to her heart and give her a new life in you. Don’t let her spend the rest of her days punishing herself for something she can do nothing about. Help her to move on and be happy, healthy and enjoy the life you’ve given her. Help adult children everywhere to accept responsibility for the life choices they’ve made and receive you as their Savior and Lord. Give us a heart that can forgive our parents for their mistakes and love them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.