Thursday Theology - Guilt

Oops! I haven't posted in a week! Daily disciplines have always been a struggle for me on my journey of faith. This blog is a nice microcosm of that. My typical pattern is to begin a practice, have it interrupted for some reason, stop doing it altogether, and then feel guilty about it. For example, I began blogging daily at the start of Lent and did pretty well for a couple of weeks. Then, this weekend, I had a fever and stomach bug and didn't blog. I haven't picked up the practice again until now, which I, of course, feel guilty about.

So, time to get back on the horse!

Since I am feeling guilty for not blogging, why don't I start there today! Guilt is a tricky topic as it relates to faith, especially when we begin to wade into the waters of ontological guilt in concepts like original sin and the atonement. But that's not the kind of guilt I want to write about today. I want to write about feeling guilty - like I have failed, let someone down, or been inadequate.

Guilt can serve two purposes. One is good; the other, not so much. Good guilt motivates us to change. In it, we recognize our deficiency and work to rectify it. As Christians, we might call this conviction and repentance. It can be a means through which God's grace works in us to make us more holy, turning away from destructive behaviors toward life-giving ones. This good guilt doesn't stay with us because we are changed by it.

The bad guilt, though, is what I think most of us experience more often. This guilt hangs around, doesn't let go, and can even attach itself to our soul like a parasite and suck the life and joy out of us. It tells us that we are not good enough, that we have failed, that there is something wrong with us, that we are not worth redeeming. This guilt comes from many different places and for various reasons. Sometimes it is an act we have done in the past that we are ashamed of and cannot move beyond. Sometimes it is simply not living up to someone's expectations. Sometimes it is realizing our own place and role in the misfortune or oppression of others (e.g. white guilt). Whatever it is, I do not think this guilt is what God wants for us.

Yet, as Christians, we often get this guilt from one another and from the church. We receive a message that if we do not live up to a certain standard - like never doing anything bad but having a picture perfect life where everything is in order and we spend hours each day in prayer, study, and serving the poor all the while with great joy - then we are failing. I don't know anyone who lives up to that standard; I'm not even sure Jesus did! But I suspect that most Christians walk around with some sense of guilt that they are not a good enough Christians.

But do you know what? That is the exact opposite of what God wants for the life of faith! Romans 8:1-2 tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Guilt is a symptom of condemnation, but we who are in Christ have been set free!

So, I know that getting past and getting rid of guilt isn't as easy as snapping your fingers are simply saying, "You shouldn't feel guilty." But really, we shouldn't feel guilty! Ours sins have been forgiven and we are loved right where we are. So may we begin to overcome our guilt and live into the newness of life, free to be ourselves!