Satan has been having a hayday with the emotional wreck that encompasses my body...
And today it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I feel guilty for things I have no control over. I let things upset me, hurt my feelings, upset me, confuse me, enrage me, fill in your own adjective here, that I can do absolutely nothing about.
Either you are guilty of some wrongdoing, or you are not.
Either you played a part in the hurtful exchange of words or you did not.
Either you let your emotions determine your attitude or you did not.
Either you allow the confusion of the events of the last four hours consume your thoughts, or you surrender them to Christ.
So, why is it so hard to operate under these clear, black and white, boundaries?
My suspicion is that learning to operate under these boundaries is the key to discovering true freedom in Christ. The kind of freedom that keeps perspective on the only thing that is of any importance, Christ. The kind that knows true surrender doesn't include take backs...
Some days I just feel so far away from that freedom....
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Guilt
Posted by Ashlee Liddell at 10:01 AM
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3 comments:
my goodness, friend...what happened???
Hey Ashlee,
I am reminded of situations where I have felt responsible for people around me, and my concern went from empathy to entanglement; I felt guilty for their misdeeds, and even guilty when they experienced any disappointment. I am not sure if this is what you're referring to, but a funny scenario that I always think of with this: a woman joked that every morning she would wake up, turn to her husband, and ask him what kind of day she was going to have. (Her husband being the one she was so entangled with.)
While I was living at home, I was speaking to a friend about my family-- how I was upset at how my siblings treated my parents, how my parents treated my siblings, and how my parents treated each other. My friend said casually, "Well you're not responsible for everyone around you." And I just thought, 'What a strange concept.....and it might even be true...how great if it was...'
And since then, I've tried to learn this: "When I am troubled by guilt, I cannot put into my day all I am capable of. I must rid myself of this feeling, not by pushing it aside, but by identifying it and correcting the cause....I will refuse to be troubled by an uneasy sense of guilt. I will track it to its source and make good for any harm I have done." (from Al-Anon)
Lisa, thanks for that quote...
laura, I miss you!
Terri...I am okay! I am just so glad you are my precious friend!!!!
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