I cannot discover God in myself and myself in Him unless I have the courage to face myself exactly as I am, with all my limitations, and to accept others as they are, with all their limitations ~ Thomas Merton.
Guilt is an interesting emotion. Sometimes we feel guilt when we experience blessings that others do not have. Sometimes we may experience it for no apparent reason. Some of us unfortunately use it as weapons against others to get them to do what we want.
For most of us though, it is present when we feel that we have not lived up to moral or ethical standards. Perhaps you’ve fallen behind on your most important goals. Maybe you are not spending enough quality time with loved ones. Or, you may have a hard time forgiving yourself for a personal failure that happened in the past.
Whatever the cause of our guilt, we have come to accept it as an inevitable part of life, like death and taxes. While short-term guilt can help us quickly identify our mistakes and rectify them, long-term guilt is dangerous for the soul. To be spiritually healthy, we must learn to overcome it.
Steps For Overcoming Guilt
1. Examine where it comes from
In order to defeat long-term guilt, we must understand its source on a spiritual level. At its core, guilt is an emotional expression of the reality of our limitedness. It’s acknowledging the fact that:
I cannot be all things to all people.
I cannot always be on my game.
I am prone to sin.
I cannot solve everyone’s problems.
2. Self-acceptance
Long-term guilt cannot thrive in an environment of self-acceptance. This involves facing our limitations and accepting them wholeheartedly. When others point out your shortcomings, acknowledge and thank them for giving you enlightenment on how you can grow. If they approached you with malicious intent, that spirit will quickly be broken.
3. Surrender
Many of us have a hard time surrendering our limits to the limitless mercy of God. We may have a hard time forgiving ourselves even when forgiveness is offered. We may say to ourselves:
“I did a really terrible thing. How can I be forgiven just like that?”
“I don’t want to be forgiven, I deserve to suffer guilt indefinitely.”
“This is the tenth time I have fallen for this. God won’t forgive me this time.”
Let go of this needless thinking. What happens when you throw a glass of water into the vast ocean? It disappears.
When you surrender your limits to the limitless, you will become limitless.
Love it, thanks Cylon!!
My pleasure Vickie 🙂