Too Much Guilt!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that as women....we live with too much guilt. (men reading this, let this be an inside glimpse to a women's heart and mind) We have guilt over not doing enough, OR... doing too much. We have guilt for not being able to keep up...or feeling as though we have been prideful about how well we keep up. We have guilt over what we eat, either too much or too little. We have guilt over work...do you go outside of the home? Or do you stay home with your children...their can be guilt either way. "HONESTLY!!!" is what I want to scream!!! "Stop the noise!!!" is what I want to yell. I want to shut my brain off. Anyone with me? SO here I sit, recognizing and acknowledging the noise in my heart and mind, the guilt that masquerades as innocence and the feeding into that only breeds more of the same in my heart and mind. I have to stop here and say one thing about myself...I always air on the side of feeling guilty over everything because I think then that I am scotch free of sinning in anyway. If I am guilty, then I obviously couldn't be doing anything wrong towards another because guilt brings feelings of being sorry! And if your always sorry, then your always meek, humble and contrite of heart right? Um...wrong. Guilt is another way of feeling sorry...FOR YOURSELF. And...I overlook the fact that when I am feeling guilty, who am I thinking about? That's right...me..myself...and I. I'm not thinking about other people...because all of my guilty feelings go as follows... I am not being a good enough mom. I am not spending enough time with my kids..I am eating too unhealthy...I am not cleaning my house enough...I am not spending enough time with God...I am not good at.....FILL IN THE BLANK. That's is what I mean by stop the noise. All of those feelings, started with I. SO who am I feeling the most for? ME. I may place the guilt on situations that relate to others, but the guilt is not really focused on that individual. Here's the truth about what God says about me: I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I have been forgiven. I have no cause to fear. I am accepted regardless of my shortcomings. I am a daughter of the KING. ( Romans 8:15-17) Hows that feel? I think better....God did not give me a spirit that is slave to fear. Guilt is cousins with fear, for in guilt we fear we are not doing enough...we are not good enough, and we are not pleasing to God. I am pleasing to God when I admit that I can do nothing in my own strength, but only in HIS strength do I RUN not grow WEARY. (Isaiah 40:31) Only in His strength can I be the best mother, the best wife...the best daughter, sister, friend and everything else that falls in between. Only in HIM am I free...( Collisions 1:14) guilt LESS and filled with peace. Oh how I want this for myself...and every other women out there... So friends...lets say NO to guilt. Lets stop thinking about ourselves...and "all our shortcomings.." and all the ways.."we'll never measure up.." For in life with Christ, who makes the standards? Christ. And when we accepted His gift of salvation, we already said, I can nothing without Christ who gives me strength...(Phil. 4:13) So in that, I know that I (and you) can rest secure. No guilt in that. No shame in this. We are His, and as we seek after His will for us and our lives, and give Him our every thought, fear, emotion, care and word we are most certainly PLEASING to the Father. For all He sees is His son who died for us in OUR PLACE. As we accept this gift of forgiveness of sins, we also accept the gift of freedom in life. Beautiful isn't it? And guess what? I feel a whole lot less guilty right now and whole lot more affirmed in who CHRIST made me to be. NOT what I think I should be. I pray you feel the peace of Christ as His words wash over you today as you read this.