when guilt skews you

Today in the One Year Bible, we read from Mark 8:11-38. The disciples are in the boat with Jesus, and they forgot to bring bread. You KNOW that had to be a "oh crap" moment. Jesus was doing all this amazing stuff, and He asked them to do ONE job. Bring bread. And they forgot.

So of course, they began talking about their guilt and compounding how bad they felt about not having the bread. So when Jesus warned them about how the teachings of the Pharisees could spread like leaven in bread, they thought, through the skewed lens of their guilt, that He was condemning them for forgetting to bring the bread.

But that's what guilt does to us, right? We feel so bad, and we beat ourselves up so much, that we begin to see the world differently. Everyone is accusing us. Compliments are taken as sarcasm. Innocent remarks take on a double meaning. And all of it just makes us feel worse.

That's why forgiveness is so important. The best way for us to escape from the downward spiral of negativity that is guilt, is to be forgiven.

Do you feel guilty today? Ask Him to lead you into forgiveness. You'll be glad you did.

God, thanks for freeing us from the self prison of guilt.