Guilt

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity....And you forgave the guilt of my sin."
-Psalm 32:5

Can you see the unhappiness in my eyes?  I was 10.  We'd just moved to another town the beginning of summer before 5th grade--away from my friends and the only school I'd gone to.  Like in today's Our Daily Bread, the new friends I'd made took me to the corner grocery and showed me how to shoplift--something I would never have done on my own if I had not been so desperate to be accepted.  The guilt I felt over the shoplifting incident weighed heavily on me because I, like King David, took a long time before confessing it.

Xochitl Dixon wrote how she'd grieved over her wrongdoing until her mother made her take the items back to the store and apologize.  Even though the storekeeper banned her from her shop Xochitl slept well that night knowing that her mother had forgiven her and that she'd done what she could to right the wrong.  She concludes, "We can't choose the consequences of our sins or control people's responses when we confess and seek forgiveness.  But the Lord can empower us to enjoy freedom from the bondage of sin and peace through confession, as He confirms that our guilt is gone--forever."

I have written further on the subject of guilt and the fear it instills on Another Perfect Day.

I am grateful that with God I can resist temptations that would lead me astray.