Let it go

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt

And cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2)

You may not realize the act of mercy as much as you do the 'feeling' of mercy. God extends his mercy to us whenever we seek it, all the while 'feeling' the tremendous load of guilt lifting as he does. We are remorseful and kind of 'down' on ourselves because we gave into temptation. We 'feel' guilt because it is actually an emotion that begins to dominate our thoughts and other emotions whenever we find ourselves 'crossing some line' that our subconscious mind told us not to cross. The desire we entertained gave way to an unwarranted or unwanted action and now we are 'feeling' it. It only stands to reason that God's mercy would elicit the exact opposite reaction as our guilt did, doesn't it? Mercy is God's love in action, bringing restored relationship and healing our damaged lives. While God doesn't want us to rely upon our emotions, he understands their tremendous 'weight' and has made a way through mercy for us to come out from under their daunting weight.

God's mercy is always based in his lovingkindness - his 'checed' (Hebrew for covenant loyalty). In most of our newer translations of the Bible, you will find this word translated as faithfulness, unfailing love, or mercy. It describes God's heart toward his people - unfailing, faithful, and based in much more than any of us would ever deserve! Wherever God's mercy is extended, there is a full washing or cleansing that occurs. Does that mean we don't deal with the emotion of guilt any longer? Not always, because our mind will try to make us remember that negative feeling for much longer than we should. What God does in cleansing us of our sin doesn't always 'compute' in our brain. We think there must be some other 'penalty' exacted for our sin. So, we hold onto the guilt when God has clearly dealt with the reason for our guilt when we confess our sin, restored us fully through his grace, and created anew what sin damaged or 'broke' within us. Guess what? There is no other 'penalty' required - Jesus paid it ALL - so let go of the guilt.

Guilt did its job already. It drove us to our knees, helped us recognize our error, and opened us up to receive God's grace. Now, let it go! Maybe we should not only confess our sin, seeking his grace as we do, but also ask God to help us let go of the guilt we feel that drove us to our knees in the first place. He doesn't want us to carry that load - he took it, so don't pick it back up!