Tuesday 7 April 2015

Guilt - are you guilty of it?!

Type motherhood, guilt into Google and you get 748,000 results. That is probably about the number of times the average mother will feel guilty for something over the course of their child's growing up years.



Yep, I am always feeling guilty about something or other. And no matter how much you tell yourself you are doing a great job and doing your best, that guilt just creeps on in. 
Guilt when you attend the primary school sports day, but not the high school one, as they are on the same day; guilt when you are in a bit of a rush in the morning and pack a jam sandwich in the school lunch rather than the lovingly made sandwiches that you KNOW every other kid is having; guilt when you say no to pretty much anything as you want to give them everything; guilt, guilt, guilt!



Yet God does not want us to feel guilty permanently. Sure, guilt was given to us to serve as a wake up call as the feeling is a message that what you are doing is not right. But we mothers take that feeling to the extreme and way beyond what it was intended to convey. Most of the things we feel guilty about are probably not worth the worry and thought we expend on them.
I was watching a TV show the other day and one of the characters, a mother, was talking about why she is stressed all the time. She talked about how every single decision, no matter how small, starts an internal dialogue about who would it effect, how would they feel about it, what would be best for each member of the family, etc.
That is me to a tee! 
In my Bible reading, two verses seem to apply particularly in this area.

'Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.'

1 Peter 5:7

'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.'

Romans 8:1

There are, of course, many more, but these are the two that I am trying to say to myself whenever I feel anxious, worried, guilty.

This is just so true.


Amen.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Jayne, guilt and anxiety can be so debilitating, keep on repeating those scriptures and thank you for giving us the encouragement to do so also. Thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Terri. GMM is such a wonderful resource, so encouraging.

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