Years ago I asked one of my daughters, who was about twelve at the time, “What do you think about guilt?”
She replied, “Guilt sucks.”
I think that statement is a needed and profound piece of theology. Feeling guilty is unnecessary. We all swim in a giant sea of God’s forgiveness. Total forgiveness is ours for the taking.
Feeling guilty is paralyzing. Nothing in my life has limited me more than feeling badly about myself because of real or imagined guilt.
Not only do I want to be free of guilt, I also want you to be free of guilt. I do not want anyone, especially my family, to feel guilty about anything having to do with me. As far as I know, I have forgiven everyone of everything.
If you the reader need my forgiveness, you have it. If it helps you to talk about some issue with me, fine. If it doesn’t help you to talk with me, then please accept my forgiveness and have a wonderful day.
I work daily to keep myself from dragging up the past. I want Christ to be welcome in every corner of my heart. I want you to enjoy total forgiveness in your relationship with your higher power however you understand your higher power.
I had the chance to express all this to my daughters a few years ago. We were in the midst of a family tragedy. My beloved nephew Steve had been struck with an aneurysm in his brain stem. We were all in shock and grief. It was pretty clear that he wasn’t going to live.
I took my girls aside to talk to them. They did not like for me to talk about my death.
I said, “When I die, I don’t want you to feel guilty about me at all. You are wonderful daughters. If I see you feeling guilty after I die, I promise, I will appear in your room at three o’clock in the morning, wake you up and say “Oooooo, oooooo, oooooo.”
They laughed a little when I said it, but I think they got the message.
George Caywood 