— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
In our world today it is easy to fall into a guilt trip since so many voices fill our heads with thoughts of inadequacies. We are bombarded with advertisements in how we can change our lives for the better if we just buy their product or follow their designated lifestyle. Of course not everyone falls for the guilt trip but many of us do. If your not one of us, keep reading so you can understand us better.
One of the most powerful verses in the Bible is found in the middle of the book of Romans. This is a verse that some of us need to start our days’ with or put it on our fridge.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
In this meditation we look at four common triggers of guilt or feelings of condemnation.
Number 1 – Doing something that goes against God’s or our moral code
Sometimes guilt should lead to repentance but not all guilt is conviction of sin. After seeking forgiveness through prayer and if we accept Christ’s forgiveness the guilt should disappear. Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sin no more…”
Number 2 – Unrealistic Expectations
There are few parents who do not at some time pressure themselves into feeling guilty in their parental failures. Parents follow developmental charts and blame themselves when their child is still crawling when the chart says they should be walking I didn’t create the right environment. Another big one is speech development, I didn’t read enough books or talk to my child).
Often humans feel guilty for their lack of fitness.Those Facebook ads make exercise look so simple to be part of your day. If I was disciplined I could follow this plan forgetting about everything else that demands your time.
Number 3 – When we compare ourselves to others.
This a trap that all of us have at sometime has fell into. We often beat ourselves up when we can’t do something as good as others do it. If I just had tried harder is a common thought. Maya Angelou said “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.” We are good enough since we are created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27)
Number 4 – Trying too hard to please others
Especially in our church we come from many diverse cultures and social groups. We do things differently just as every family has it’s own rituals. Abe Lincoln once said “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” We are called in Ephesians 4:32 to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you.”
Lord we thank you that you take away our guilt when we confess our sins. Help us to believe that you really do take away our guilt. Help us to recognise the difference between guilt from sin and the guilt we create and don’t need to have. Help us never forget that there is no condemnation in Christ and that includes self condemnation.
Amen
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 