The Pothole of Guilt & Regret....

Anchored to the Past...living in the ruins!

I don't know about your days of childhood, but my were filled with carefree play and time with my neighborhood pals...romping up and down our street, doing what little boys do and more often than not, getting into trouble....nothing major, just stuff that we were hoping won't be noticed by the grownups.

Invariably, we would do something that we knew was wrong... like turn over someone's birdbath or knock the heads off of some pretty flowers with our baseball bats. Then, like roaches exposed to the light in a dark room, we would all go scurrying off to our homes with one thought in our little boy minds...DON'T TELL ANYONE WHAT WE HAD DONE. Doing that was never easy for me because my parents were raising me to be honest, truthful and "a good boy." So when I didn't squeal on myself or my pals, I always had this terrible feeling come over me as I tossed and turned in my bed at night...that feeling was GUILT...and until I came clean and confessed my wrong doings to my parents, it would not go away.

For a lot of people on the road of life, they have encountered the pothole of GUILT and it's family member of REGRET. Now, they are not living with the transgressions of their childhood pranks, but they are dealing with some serious stuff that has left them broken-down on the side of the road as they try and push away the guilt from an extramarital affair. They may have long since stopped the action of giving themselves to another person who is not their spouse, but the guilt and shame of that action of infidelity hangs over them and they still cannot bring themselves to let go of the pain and shame they caused their spouse, even when they have been forgiven. And it is in that failure to let go that they continue to build those walls of discord and discontent that keeps them from re-building the marriage they once had or hoped for when love was in full bloom.

Or what about that woman that did what she now considers unthinkable as she bore a child out of wedlock and then gave away her baby because of the societal mores that she was under. She relives every day that moment when her child was taken away and regrets the decision to let the child go...how does she live with the pain of guilt and regret that wells up every time she sees a photo of someone's new grand child or holds a baby in the nursery at church?

Or what about the person that spread some terrible lies about the person in the next cubicle at work and in so doing got a co-worker fired. Now, those actions and those words spoken have left an indelible mark on the soul and the guilt haunts every interaction with those still in the workplace. 

Or what about you and me and our relationship with a Holy Creator. We know that we have sinned and that our relationship is broken with our Heavenly Father, but we think that at the right time, when we get our act together, we will come to God with our cleaned up life and make amends for all our wrong doing...but until then, we will just have to deal with the guilt and the regrets that we carry for a life carelessly lived. But to me the pothole of guilt and regret is even worse and does far more damage in the life of a Christian that will not forgive themselves for their transgressions against God.

They have accepted the grace of God but are not at peace with God because they are still toting around the guilt that came with their sin. They have not learned the truth that when God forgives, GOD FORGETS....He no longer holds the sin against you for the debt and the punishment due you for your sin has been PAID IN FULL by Jesus. So when you continue to carry the guilt or live in regret for your sins of commission or your sins of omissions, you are telling God that the sacrifice of Jesus was not enough to pay for your sins....that it is only through your guilt that you can be made whole....and to that I say,

HOGWASH!!!!!

God's Word says it best in Romans 5:1 which says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." And that peace is made manifest by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and through the power of the spirit all GUILT and all REGRET is cast out...you just have to let it go and get back to traveling the road of life with this one central thought....

WHATEVER I HAVE DONE, THE BLOOD THAT CHRIST  SHED FOR ME HAS COVERED MY SIN AND NOW I AM FREE...A NEW AND GLORIOUS CREATION THAT HAS BEEN SET FREE..NO LONGER SHACKLED TO MY SINFUL PAST, BUT ALIVE IN CHRIST!!!!

Make this your mission statement ....Letting go of the past, holding firm to my Savior, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength...there is no pothole that can keep me from my journey's end... GOING HOME WITH MY LORD WHERE ETERNITY AWAITS!!!!!

Dodging the potholes....Letting Jesus steer,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

Life's potholes may get the best of you

     As you are tossed both to and fro:

    And you may question the Father's love, 

    Unsure which way to go...

But never doubt how much He cares for you,

As you travel life's highways;

The Father's love will see you through

To Eternity one day....

And when you enter those pearly gates

To be met by those above;

The Father's arms will be opened wide

As your welcomed Home in love.

WPQ 2017