Disclaimer: This will only make sense to Christians… so... you know... just make sure you’re one before you continue :)
We all go through things in life and in an attempt to continue living, we tell ourselves stories. If you look closely, you’ll see that, there's a proverb or anecdote you say to encourage yourself, an experience you never forget that becomes your motivation and so on. When repeated long enough these "stories" become the lens through which we view life, they become our reality, our truth, and what influences our responses to life as it happens.
For us Christians, lots of internal conflicts arise when the reality we've built up over time ie the stories we've told ourselves, is different from what God's word says. In this post, we're going to explore: guilt.
A great majority of us, are shocked when confronted with our moral failings, and that of other Christians. Have you ever disappointed yourself? Have you ever done something you swore you’d never do again? What do you tell yourself? How do you respond to the feelings of guilt?
But I think guilt is a blessing or a curse depending on the stories we tell ourselves to cover up the shame we feel inside.
Some of us rationalize and blame everything and everyone but ourselves (hello Adam and Eve), while others outrightly deny it like, “Oh it's just this one time I promise it will not happen again”, Yet others go the opposite route, they beat themselves up, there’ll remind themselves of the times they fail, and that they keep failing and that they’re never good enough.
But the truth is any response that looks at ourselves or other humans will never truly suffice. And deep down we know it, we can't easily shake off the feeling of shame that engulfs us. Yet this is why guilt can be a blessing too, because it signals that there's something wrong with our relationship with God. Something that needs urgent correction lest we stray far from God.
Now consider another story in response to guilt:
God created and knows our hearts through and through. He became human like us and is greater than our hearts.
but sin makes us want to run away from God’s presence and our hearts condemn us when we fail. It robs us of true fellowship with God.
As far as God is concerned, there’s nothing we can ever be too good, bad or ugly to receive His love.
So we should run to God when guilt springs up.
God is the only one who can make us free and our one true response to guilt is to look to Jesus not ourselves.
Jesus said in John 8: 33 -36
They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
So don't forget this:
Our liberty stems from a deep understanding that Jesus makes us free. Not our actions, not our inactions nothing from within ourselves can produce in us the freedom we truly crave.
This month, tell yourself a new story and create a new response to the feelings of guilt and times of failings. Look to the word of God and rehearse the truths the spirit shares. Till your daily experience becomes the truth of God's word.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
So Welcome once again to our month of liberty!!
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