Our dog, Anzus, loved laying on his mat. He rarely got excited about anything except to bark at the door bell or when he noticed us getting ready to go on a walk. Other than that, he loved laying on his mat. Occasionally, one of us would give him enough attention that he would come over to us and beg us to scratch and pet him, which we did. If the kids were too loud, though, he'd go into his indoor doghouse and lay on the mat there.
There were three other times throughout the day that he would be active - just before breakfast, lunch and dinner. As soon as we started preparing our meals there was Anzus in the kitchen waiting beneath our feet hoping that we would occasionally drop something to the floor.
On one such occasion, my wife accidentally dropped some noodles from the spaghetti she was preparing. Immediately Anzus gobbled up what he could. As he was doing so, my wife exclaimed in a loud, startled voice, ANZUS! Eating human food is not always good for pets, but Anzus had particular dietary issues which gave us serious concerns and spaghetti was not on his diet.
What happened next is still legend in our house. Upon the reprimand, Anzus immediately stopped eating the spaghetti, bowed his head low, and began to trudge off to his usual mat with a long piece of spaghetti hanging out of his mouth onto the floor and dragging behind him as he was sullenly walking away.
My wife and kids burst into so much laughter at the scene that it prompted me to come from another room to check out what was happening. Just as I entered the room, Anzus glanced back as if on cue with his sad puppy dog eyes and spaghetti still hanging from his mouth.
For Shame!
Oh the guilt that was expressed on Anzus' little face! He hadn't planned on doing something bad. He was following his normal routine and when the opportunity arose he jumped in to seize his prize, some spaghetti noodles. It was the reaction to his action that brought on his shame. He recognized that he had done something not right and responded accordingly. He wanted to get out of the situation.
This feeling is far too common to each of us. We have all been in circumstances where we have been embarrassed, accused, or felt guilty for actions we have done. The sensation might have been on account of legitimate wrongdoing or on account of some innocent mistake. A word misspoken, a calculated misdeed, or public misconduct can all bring doses of condemnation. Self-condemnation is often worse.
Who Causes You to Feel Guilty?
Shame and guilt can be effective tools. They are used well by parents, teachers, bosses and ourselves. But the people with which they may be the most associated are religious leaders. People often link "religious leaders" to strict religious school teachers or fire-and-brimstone preachers. They think of people who aim to heap guilt on them.
When I tell people that I am a preacher, one common reaction is for them to apologize for a word they have said in our conversation up to that point or to validate that "they do in fact believe even if they haven't gone to church enough lately." I always find these reactions a bit funny because it makes me feel like they view me as part of a divine covert team out there to determine everyone's spirituality. That of course is not the case. My goal is to bring good news, not guilty feelings.
Not Guilty
And here is the good news. You don't have to have to feel guilty. Now, I am not saying that wrongdoing or honest mistakes should not nor will not induce regret. Regret is a normal reaction to any offense and the size of the offense will increase the size of the regret. A great offense might even bring with it pangs of sorrow. Regret can be a profitable tool that prevents recurrence of the offense. What the Bible says though is that there is One who is greater than our guilt, regret, sorrow or shame.
Even if we feel guilty,
God is greater than our feelings,
and he knows everything.
1 John 3:20 NLT
An analysis of the passage surrounding this verse causes us to recognize that there is a strong connection between our actions and our guilt. This is undeniable. I think we would all agree with that thought. But this particular verse points us to the fact that the Lord is greater than our guilt. He loved us and provided a means for our hope even when we did not deserve it.
But God showed his great love for us
by sending Christ to die for us
while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8 NLT
Look at the last phrase in each of those verse:
and he knows everything.
while we were still sinners.
God knows everything we have and still did not wait for us to get our acts together before He demonstrated His love us. He offers us mercy. That is, he gave to us forgiveness when we did not merit it. Furthermore, his removal of our guilt strengthens our confidence when we approach Him. We do not have to be ashamed before our God.
Here I do offer two observations.
Observation #1:
Some people take the approach that since God forgive anyway, then I'll do whatever I want and not worry about it. What I have witnessed over the years is that people who live according to this perspective might indeed find forgiveness, but very little else. God did not forgive us so that we can keep living a life of regret. He did not clean us up to go get dirty again.
Observation #2:
Some people take the approach that God's forgiveness offers the opportunity to get it right this time. Forgiveness unchains them from that which caused the guilt in the first place. Whoever turns over regrets and shame to the Lord can move forward in life, can find great freedom and can accomplish great things for God. They don't ever have to return to their mistakes.
Those who fall into the second observed group understand the teaching that follows the verse above about feeling guilty.
Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty,
we can come to God with bold confidence.
And we will receive from him whatever we ask
because we obey him and
do the things that please him.
1 John 3:21–22 NLT
Are you tired of feeling guilty? Of living a life of regret? Are you ready to put shame behind you? Today, accept forgiveness and move on to great things.
P.S. re. Anzus
By the way, when we saw how sad Anzus appeared to be, we went and got a doggy treat and gave it to him. He instantly cheered up as all five of us crowded around him and loved on him. His mood changed instantly because he knew he was loved and that we did not hold anything against him.
As much we cared for our pet, the scriptures teach us that God cares far more for His creation. He cares for you.
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