I Feel Guilty...

I don't, at least not right now, but there is something about guilt that brings people to an emotional and mental place where they get crippled and handicapped in ways that no other emotion or situation can achieve.I believe that's because of our memory.

I've talked on this blog before about memory and how important it is, and since this blog is called "Conversation for Transformation" I feel a deep sense of drive to talk about how our past, present and future affect the possible change God wants to bring in our lives.

This morning, after a great conversation, I typed this note:

Remembering with guilt versus remembering with gratitude

A translation, for those who don't speak my brain-language is this: God is bringing about the work of transformation when we can look at our past or present failures, remembering them, and instead of feeling a sense of guilt (I'm talking about the "I'll never do anything right" level here) we feel a sense of gratitude. We begin to see our past failures as opportunities for God to make us into who we were intended to be.

How do you remember your failures? Are they situations that you now see as fruitful and foundational to present joys? Or are you handicapped by the guilt of what you have done? If you are the latter, read Galatians 5:1 and meditate on it - let go of your guilt and let God teach you who you are becoming.