Letting Go of Guilt
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1
Sometimes we feel guilty because we've hurt other people inadvertently. Often, we hurt people because we’re hurting as well, even though we don’t intend to wound them. This is especially true for women who may have been abused or mistreated while growing up. As we mature and realize that something we said or did caused another person to be hurt, we may feel very badly about it. The first thing to do is to confess our bad behavior to God, and then we need to talk to the person we hurt. We can offer a sincere apology, perhaps even explaining what was going on in our life when we said or did something to wound them. While it’s not an excuse, it may help them to understand where we were coming from. In situations where the hurt has been especially deep, the other person may not be ready to move on. That can cause us to feel guilty or condemned by our actions, but once we have confessed our sin, received God’s forgiveness, and apologized to the person we offended, we should no longer carry the guilty of our failures. God offers us free and ultimate forgiveness, even if people don’t. We must always accept responsibility for our actions, but it’s even more important to release ourselves from guilt and walk in freedom once we’ve made things right.
