Giving Up Guilt: 5 Truths To Speak When The Guilt Creeps In

I’ve always had a guilty conscience. I tend to dwell on a lot of things too… so those two things together aren’t always a great combination.

I remember when I was in the fourth grade, and we were in our first week of school. The teacher wanted to see where we all were at, so she asked us to take out a blank sheet of paper and answer the following questions as best as we could. There was one math question she asked that I really wasn’t sure on - I wrote down my answer… and then sat there, questioned it, erased it, and wrote a different one.

“Alright, everyone pass your papers to the person on the end,” the teacher said.

Everyone began passing their papers to me, and as that was happening, I noticed my cousin had written down the original answer I had put before. I quickly took my eraser, scribbled away what I had written, and replaced my new answer with the old.

Now I can’t even remember which answer ended up being right, and the test wasn’t even for a grade, but I will never forget that moment in time, because the guilt I felt after just about ate me alive. I never cheated on a single assignment, test, you name it throughout all of my academic studies ever again.

Like I told you - I am a guilty person.

This is starting to come across more and more as I get older too… Like when I don’t get the dishes all done. Or the house isn’t clean. Or the wedding thank yous aren’t done yet… It weighs on me.

In fact, Tyler looked at me last night after I was about in tears because I felt so guilty for being a little grumpy and not having everything done, and he told me to stop. To just take a step back. To look up. To dig into the Word.

Did I want to listen? Absolutely not.

But he was right. Guilt can eat you alive if you let it. I am definitely still a work in progress, but here are five truths you can speak when the guilt wants to creep into your life:

1. You were not created to be everybody’s everything.

No, the dishes may be piled high in the sink, and you may have forgotten the birthday card on the kitchen counter at home, but you are a human being. You are not perfect, and you are going to make mistakes. You won’t always have everything crossed off the to-do list, and you won’t always have patience with your spouse or child. This does not mean you’re a bad person - it means you’re human. Breathe in. Breathe out. You are enough in where you’re at in life today. 

2. You are called to be still.

Stop. That’s the message that’s been pressed upon me lately. Stop with all the agenda-items you’re trying to juggle, and just chill for a sec. Rest, and be still. Be still and know that God is with you. He loves you. He wants the best life for you. You are in control of the attitude you have in this moment, so be still, quiet yourself for two seconds, and make time to rest in His presence. 

3. You are not defined by one bad decision.

One decision does not define you. Yes, you are in control of the decisions you make, and yes, sometimes those decisions can have a lasting impact. But ultimately, that one bad action you took does not ultimately make you a bad person. God looked at the lowest of the low, He wiped away the sins of the ones who were the furthest away from Him, and He used them. God knows your heart, and He’s using you, whether you feel like it or not. Keep your head up - one mistake or one slip-up does not mean you are a failure or unworthy of God’s love, peace, and goodness.

4. It probably isn’t as bad as you think.

Yes, maybe the decision you made seems horrible right now. Or you feel the weight of what that choice has caused. Maybe there are some people that are mad at you right now… but I guarantee that you are the one that is the biggest magnifier of your shortcomings. No one else is inspecting this under a microscope like you. Rid yourself of the doubts that invade your mind when you begin to create stories of what you think others are saying or feeling or thinking about you. Chances are, they are more worried about themselves than they are about you. Stop creating negative narratives in your head that don’t exist, and start focusing on the here and now - on what’s right in front of you. That is where God has you today.

5. Dwelling only delays the delight in today.

Today is a new day. This moment is a new moment. This breath is a new breath. Don’t ruin today by being so focused on what you believe to be yesterday’s shortfalling. If something didn’t work out yesterday, approach it with a new attitude today. If you didn’t get those five things crossed off the to-do list last week, start making plans to attack them this week. If you said some harsh words you didn’t mean, apologize and focus on the good words in this moment.

The beautiful thing about life is that you have the power to choose how you want to live it. You have the power to choose grace over guilt. To choose goodness over guiltiness. Like Psalm 118:24 says, “Today is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Give up the guilt, my friend. You were created to delight in today, not be stuck in what you believe to be the shortcomings of yesterday.