Be Glad Those Guilty Feelings

By Len Woods

Eleven-year- old Ryan McCrery is having a hard time sleeping.
He's been in bed for over an hour now but he just keeps tossing and
turning.

This afternoon he went next door and cleaned out Mrs.
Cheney's basement for her. She's getting older, and since her husband
died last summer, she has to hire kids in the neighborhood to do odd
jobs for her. Anyway, while Ryan was sweeping and straightening, he
came across a box full of old baseball cards -- a cardboard box
stuffed to the top! At leastfive thousand cards. Maybe even more!
Ryan couldn't believe it. For thirty minutes his heart raced
as he thumbed through the collection. It was like taking a trip
through the Hall of Fame -- Koufax, Williams, Mantle, Clemente,
Aaron,
Gibson. Not only were there some valuable cards, but there were even
some duplicates!

Before Ryan even knew what he was doing, he found himself
taking fifteen or twenty of the duplicate cards and putting them in
his coat pocket. Then he finished cleaning up and hurried home.
So now you know why Ryan's having a hard time sleeping. And
now you know why every few minutes he sits up in bed and glances over
toward his jacket hanging there on the back of his desk chair.

What does it mean to be guilty?...When was the last time you
really felt guilty? If Ryan came to you and told you his story and
asked your advice, what would you say to him?
After sinning, Adam and Eve felt guilt and embarrassment over
their nakedness (Genesis 3:7-8). Their guilty feelings made them try
to hide from God. A guilty conscience is a warning signal God placed
inside you that Goes off when you you've done wrong. The worst step
you could take is to eliminate the guilty feelings without
eliminating the cause. That would be like using a painkiller but not
treating the cause of the pain. Be glad those guilty feelings are
there. They make you aware of your sin so you can ask God's
forgiveness and then correct your wrongdoing.

TIPS FOR PARENTS. We're often inclined to think we must hide
our mistakes from our children. After all, if they know about the
wrong choices we have made, they might rationalize, "Hey, Mom (or
Dad)
did this once. That means I can do it, too!" That is a parenting
myth. By sharing our regret over past (and present) failures, our
children see us as real and approachable. Give your kids the benefit
of both your good and your bad experiences.

By Len Woods, Life Application Family Devotions