Quote 37

In January 2016 I committed to completing a one-year daily bible reading plan.  Within three weeks I had fallen off the wagon.  So much was in transition in my life.  Let me explain:  In October 2015 I quit my job.  I had been working as a director of a non-profit domestic violence program and shelter.  I loved the work but it weighed on me, and I was experiencing physical and mental symptoms of burnout.  About two weeks after my last day at work my husband said he wanted a divorce and he expected me to move.  As was the norm of my Type A personality, I got into problem-solving mode, and by November I had found a house for me and my three dogs, moved, set up the utilities, and began this new phase of my life.  I should mention that I was in the midst of a certification for life coaching and was also starting my own business.  Needless to say that by January I needed God more than ever, but with all of the upheaval in my life I couldn’t seem to make the time.  I was going through the motions of life but not really feeling or experiencing it. My divorce was final in February, and the time kept moving forward.

In the beginning of August, I got back on the wagon and was making time to read my bible daily.  One of my friends suggested the Love God Greatly You Are Forgiven Bible Study and it spoke to me.  Who doesn’t want to forgive or be forgiven?

This study has been life changing for me.  Learning that no amount of works gains me favor with God was huge.  Learning that I am “enough” by the sheer fact that I was born and believe in Him changes my views on my own self-worth.  And that doesn’t even include the “forgiven” stuff.

I had built up so many negative emotions and beliefs about myself.  I felt that I had failed at marriage and at my ability to work 65+ hours a week doing trauma and crisis management work without it taking a toll on my body.  I had let myself down in so many ways.  But I had already been forgiven by my Heavenly Father.

Learning that He forgives me gives me permission to forgive myself.

I now treat myself with compassion, forgiveness, and empathy.  I have apologized to myself and my ex-husband for my role in the demise of our marriage and my “lack of success” at my job.  I have stopped holding myself to a professional standard that no one could achieve.  Who am I to judge myself if God himself isn’t judging me?!

Needless to say, this study came at the perfect time.  It has allowed me to exhale, to slow down, to reflect, and to refocus.  The study has also taught me that God is caring, empathetic, nurturing, compassionate, and supportive. He only wants me to love and forgive myself so that I can love and forgive others.

Nikki Tobias, MS, Ph.D., CLC
Founder & CEO: Grounded Vision Coaching, Consulting, and Development

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Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt is the founder and director of LoveGodGreatly.com, a nonprofit online Bible study ministry reaching thousands of women in over two hundred countries around the world with God’s Word through their translated Bible studies. She and her husband live in Dallas, Texas with their three daughters. Angela is passionate about God’s Word and believes one woman in God’s Word can change a family, community and ultimately a nation. Her greatest joy is to encourage her children and others to love God greatly with their lives one day at a time. You can connect with her on Instagram.

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