Guilt

Why do we feel guilty? We havent done enough, we forgot something, we wronged someone; the list goes on and on. Biblically, guilt is not of God but of the devil.

"By His power, the Lord will judge and purify the nation and wash away the guilt of Jerusalem and the blood that has been shed there" -Isaiah 4:4

"He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, 'This has touched your lips and now your guilt is gone and your sins are forgiven." -Isaiah 6:7

God came in the form of Jesus, so that our guilt can be washed away. Our guilt is not a feeling that God puts in us, just as our sins are not given to us by God, but are a result of the broken world we live in. This doesnt mean that we will never feel guilty once we turn to Christ, it just means that we know our guilt has been taken care of. Its not easy. Lord knows this is my daily struggle. That is the whole reason I am writing this.

"I am drowning in the flood of my sins; they are a burden too heavy to bear." -Psalms 38:4

This heavy burden is what the Lord offers to lift off of our heavy hearts. The biggest thing I feel a guilt for is serving; doing. What more can I do? Am I doing enough? I am performance driven and am my own worst critic. I'm sure I am not alone, but it sure feels lonely sometimes.

As a Christian, we are called to serve others with our gifts. I have always struggled with 1 my gifts and 2 my time. I feel guilty when I'm not productive, I feel guilty when I'm watching TV or when I'm off of work on the weekends. I feel guilty for enjoying those things. (Not that I dont enjoy them). I am a big advocate for people taking time off and focusing on themselves. I do pretty well on it for myself, but I still continue to feel guilty for it all. As humans, I think feeling guilt is inevitable. But what we do with that guilt is important. Will you let it rule your life, or will you let God's grace and Jesus' blood wash it away everyday?

I dont have a remedy for it. Only the cleansing blood of Jesus can do that. A constant reminder that when I feel guilty, it is the devil whispering destructive words into my ears. I must replace and refocus my thoughts on Jesus and tell that devil that I dont need to feel guilty because Jesus saved me, he already took all that guilt, all my sins, and nailed them to that cross. He went to hell for me and now He is waiting in Heaven when its my time to come home. I pray that my guilt will lessen as I focus on the saving grace of Jesus. That is my prayer for whoever read this as well.

God Bless.