“The Muhammad Ali of emotions? Guilt. It comes at us with the left hook of should’ve and the right punch of could’ve. We fight back. We duck with denial, sidestep with justification. . . . But nothing slows down our guilt. . . . It’s only a matter of time until life becomes a Niagara Falls of guilt.”- Max Lucado
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but worldly sorrow brings death.”- 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)
“It’s not the mountains ahead that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”- Muhammad Ali
In Chapter 6 (“When You Struggle with Guilt”) of Tame Your Thoughts, Max Lucado notes that we try to hide our cards of guilt. Cards on which we’ve ‘written’ each mistake we’ve made. Hence, we want to distract people from looking at those cards. Furthermore, we change the subject often, staying away from personal issues. Eventually, we master the card game.
Most significantly, guilt impacts our outlook toward God. As a result, we:
- get angry with God (He demands too much!)
- live in fear of God (He doesn’t want me; I don’t want Him.)
- negotiate with God (Deep down I know I’m in trouble)
Certainly, Max stresses, guilt messes up our lives! Consequently, we feel sentenced to a life of shame without parole. Therefore, Max counsels:
” Guilt and shame are siblings, but not twins. Guilt tells you when you’ve done something wrong; shame tells you something is wrong with you. God wants to use your guilt to guide you, while the world wants to keep you stuck in your shame. The word shame forms an apt acronym: Self-Hatred At My Expense. No more shame for you. Let you guilt turn you toward God.”
In the next blog Max talks about how to uproot our guilt and replace it with seeds of grace.
Today’s question: What Bible verses most help you deal with the Muhammad Ali of emotions, guilt? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Trimming the stick?”