It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty?” vs. 9
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Lent is a time for us to focus on our sin, humbly confess our iniquities, and pray for the restoration of our hearts. One of the by-products of such introspection can often be a strong and overwhelming sense of guilt. That’s to be expected. Sin and guilt are often partners on the journey of faith, unwelcome companions that need to be addressed and confronted regularly. But sometimes we overdo it when it comes to guilt. We’ve been so conditioned by our culture and its moralisms that we automatically assume a posture of guilt in almost every circumstance. Like the psalmist we imagine that we were born guilty, a sinner in our mother’s womb. But that’s just not true! We’re created in the image of God, and in Christ, have an intimate relationship with our Lord–at our very core, we are good! Now this doesn’t mean that guilt will never be in the picture for us–that’s not true either. When good people get caught up in sin of course we’ll feel guilt–and we should. But rather than skulking around this world with a “woe is me” expression on our faces, we should daily embrace joy and gladness as our “modus operandi.” We’re beloved forgiven children of God and we should be living by grace and not by guilt.
Thought for the Day: What’s the best way to deal with guilt?
0 Comments