How could I have done that? We all have those things from our past, however recent, that leave us feeling ashamed and terrible. Perhaps we can’t seem to put them behind us, and we may even begin to define ourselves by those things. Should the guilt of our regrets eat us up? Is this what we deserve?
This is a tough topic, a struggle that so many wrestle with, but end up pinning themselves under the weight of their guilt. Guilt is terribly burdensome, and has led to the destruction of many lives. People might run for relief, to drugs, alcohol, or other things, or they may punish themselves by isolating themselves and worse.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The reality is that we all have reason to be guilty, because we all do wrong things. The question then is how we deal with the guilt. We may try to dismiss our own guilt by reasoning that what we did was relatively minor. Maybe we feel better because others have done worse things. Another common response, however, is to wallow in that guilt. We feel we should take responsibility for our wrong, and somehow pay for it… but the inadequacy of any payment keeps us in emotional chains. Other times, we may have false guilt, not from any actual wrong, but instead from the constant feeling of never being good enough in what we do.
When we have done wrong, guilt is there for a reason. It isn’t there to ruin us; it’s there for us to come to God and receive his forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is the proper treatment and cure for guilt. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). God’s forgiveness is an amazing thing! God promises that He is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). God is a fair and just God, but He is loving and merciful. All His anger against sin was poured out on Jesus, who “bore our sins” on the cross (1 Peter 2:24).
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The freedom that comes from God’s forgiveness is readily available to all who will trust that Jesus died on their behalf. We are not to continue in guilt. We are free to make new and better choices, and even when we sin again, forgiveness is still abundantly available. We are not defined by our past, but by the value that God placed on us when He gave up His Son for us.
Will you be free from your guilt today, and recognize the depth of the love that God has for you?