GUILT BE GONE!

Do you spend a lot of your time feeling guilty?

I sure do. And most of it doesn’t even make sense. Here are some of the areas where I feel guilt. I didn’t do enough for my mom while she was alive. I should have raised my kid’s better. I bought too many clothes or shoes. I ate or drank something fattening. I should be working more or less. The list could go on and on. I would sure make my life a lot better if I knew how to overcome guilt!

What are the types of guilt? 

LGGD (low-grade guilt disorder) – I wrote in my book about LGGD, a pervasive sense of guilt because we feel bad about all the things we are doing – or aren’t doing – or aren’t doing as well as we think we should. Oftentimes, LGGD results from us thinking that we aren’t meeting the expectations of some external source (i.e., other people, society). The bottom line is that guilt isn’t productive and is harmful. It negatively impacts our lives and holds us back from the lives that God wants for us. And, by the way, I made up the term, LGGD, so don’t try googling it. Maybe I have created a new diagnosis code!

Guilt based on sin – Another type of guilt occurs when we sin and that’s a different matter. However, all is not lost! If we sin, we should ask for forgiveness and repent. As a result, our sins will be forgiven because of the redemption that we have through Jesus Christ on the cross. Romans 8:1 says, “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

So, why do we expend so much time and energy on guilt?

It’s my understanding that guilt doesn’t come from God. I think Satan uses it to keep us from doing the will of God and growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ. As usual, Satan is trying to get up in our bizness!

I’m sick and tired of feeling guilty! How can I make it stop?

As is often the case, I believe that it frequently starts with awareness. Here are some actions you can take – and I am going to try to take my own advice!

• When you notice yourself feeling guilty based on a sin, ask for forgiveness right then and there.
• If it’s LGGD, recognize it and tell Satan that you aren’t going to waste your time on his nonsense!