Tag Archives: guilt

Didn’t give it a thought

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The guilt nagged, but apparently not enough to make me actually do something about it. An older lady in our church, one I love and who has been a source of encouragement to me, fell and hurt herself a few months ago.

I kept meaning to send a card, call her, or stop by to see her but didn’t. I Iet the hectic pace of life get in the way of showing love. I prayed for her, but she didn’t know that. She was back at church on Sunday and I was thrilled to see her again, looking well and smiling as usual.

I hugged her tightly and said, “I need to ask your forgiveness.” She pulled back, “Whatever for?” “I have thought many times of calling you, sending you a card or coming to see you and didn’t make it happen. I don’t want you to think I don’t care about you!”

She chuckled, hugged me tightly, and said words that washed my guilt away, “Oh my goodness, it’s okay! I never gave it a thought!”

This morning, my devotional reading spoke of how God has forgiven us, has accepted us, yet we continue to nurture guilt or feel we have to do things for his approval. What a silly, sad state to be in, when, if we have accepted Jesus, we are heirs of an eternal treasure: the deep love and fellowship of God.

I can just hear Him say to me this morning, “All that guilt you keep inside about not being enough or doing enough is so unnecessary. I forgave you and since haven’t given it a thought!”

Thank you, Papa, for your undying, constant, persistent love and grace. Thank you for holding me and reassuring me that I’m your girl. Teach me to live in the freedom of truly knowing that.

and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. (Philippians 3:9 CEVUS06)

Vacation, what a wonderful word

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My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8

We left early yesterday morning for the airport and had smooth flights all the way to Tucson, Arizona, where my parents were waiting with big grins and open arms at baggage claim. It was sunny and hot as we walked to the car, just like I love it, and I was pinching myself.  Mom and I started yakking from the moment we hugged and hadn’t stopped yet.   Continue reading →

You’re the reason

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With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.  Romans 8:1-2 The Message

Guilt is described as a sense of remorse or responsibility for some offense or wrong-doing, whether real or imagined.   It plaques every one of us at one time or another and can become oppressive causing us to trudge instead of walk freely, to feel low and even worthless.  It’s like wearing a stack of lead aprons, the kind the dentist lays on top of you when you’re about to have an x-ray.

Where does it come from?   From other people?  After all they can be judgmental and have certain expectations of us, or we can value their opinions of us far too much.  Maybe sometimes.  From ourselves?  Each of us is probably our harshest critic and with help from our enemy, the devil, accuse ourselves ruthlessly.  From God?   Continue reading →

It’s Still Good

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I’ve been thinking a LOT about the nature of the Church in America, how we do some things right, how we do some things seemingly wrong, how we miss the mark so often by getting distracted and becoming like social clubs, how it seems we’ve failed in being life-saving stations.  I’ve swayed so far on the continuum that I’ve wondered the purpose of meeting every Sunday to sing songs and have “church.”  What is the point in all this that we do week after week, God?  Is this accomplishing your mission for us??

This morning God showed me that it’s still good.  Meeting for worship with other believers, other “sheep” is still a very good thing.  There’s nothing wrong with it – it’s just not all there is.  When we meet we encourage one another, we get help shifting our focus back to God, we hear from God’s Word, we gain new insights and direction, we hopefully hear testimonies of how God is at work in other people’s lives, we celebrate how good God is together, we sing, we pray together.  It’s still good!   As a church we just can’t stop or stay there.  Our mission is to get out and share hope and Jesus with everyone who hasn’t believed yet.  How do we do that?  That’s the million dollar question! Continue reading →

Love

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“Could it really be that simple?”  I thought as I read “The Shack”*.  Jesus had just told the main character that the expectations put on us as believers in this world are not from God – that all we need to do is to love without agenda.  Love.  Just love.  Love God.  Love people.

What a freeing thought!   It bears up to thorough scrutiny, too, aligning with what God’s Word tells us to do and with all that Jesus taught.  To love is to accomplish everything else that God wants from us: bringing others to Him in relationship, helping people in need, maintaining and thriving in relationship to other people, knowing and enjoying closeness with our Creator, having fulfillment and purpose in this life, and more.   God is love.  He’s relational.  Interacting and relating are what He’s all about.  After all, He created people to have relationship with them, to interact, to love them and be loved by them… by us.

Whatever you’re about today, however long your task list, however heavy the load of guilt that you’ve piled upon yourself as you try and be a “good Christian”, let it go and just love.

I am remembering a song my parents taught me as a child

Tell me, Mimi, do you love Jesus?
Oh yes I love Jesus….

Tell me why do you love Jesus?
Because He first loved me.

*The Shack, by William P. Young