Guilt, Not Shame

That's my new mantra. The difference between the two was explained to me yesterday, and I think it really makes sense where I am. Guilt is feeling badly - disappointed, embarrassed - about something that was done, while shame is feeling badly about yourself. That really resounded with me. I can feel badly that I did something, which will hopefully lead me to confession and repentance, or I can feel bad about myself for something that I did. What I do is not who I am, as Paul is so wonderful to explain, and it doesn't make any sense to think of myself as a bad or unworthy person simply because something I did was less that wonderful. I think it comes back to the idea that when we refuse to forgive ourselves for something, it's like we're saying that yes, sure, God can forgive us, but He doesn't know the whole story. If He did, He certainly wouldn't think of forgiving us. That makes me laugh. That's essentially saying, "I'm worthless, but I know more than God." Ha! I do that all the time, and it's probably the most contradictory thing I could do. Place myself in a position of lowliness, but in a position that's somehow higher than God. Ridiculous. So guilt is a good way to think, as long as it's holy guilt that brings us closer to the Lord and leads to conviction in our hearts. Shame is another story. Shame says, "God doesn't know what He's talking about. He can't love me, because look at who I am." Guilt remembers that our actions and our identities are separate. Guilt remembers that God loves us for who we are, not what we do.