Wednesday, May 10, 2023
“I should have …”
“If only I had …”
Phrases like these loop through my mind more often than they should. Perfectionism comes calling again, and I start living in the past, getting caught up in all the ways I could have avoided blunders. But while replaying all these “should haves” is annoying when it comes to awkward or inconvenient moments, it can be devastating when that mindset seeps into our relationship with God.
Even once we start following Jesus and repent, it’s easy to keep clinging to the guilt and shame left by our own sin or the way others have sinned against us. The words you wish you could take back. The pain caused by someone else’s actions. The old habit you slipped into when you swore you wouldn’t. Instead of living in the freedom Jesus offers, we find ourselves crippled by our past mistakes.
Romans 7:24-25
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: in my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Paul’s lament is raw and honest, all too familiar when you’re caught in the spiral of your failings. But I love his palpable relief as he proclaims that Jesus is the only way out of this crushing weight. We often trust Jesus for our salvation yet hesitate when trusting him with our guilt, shame, and “should haves.” We need to surrender those to him as well, leaving them at the cross and embracing our new identities.
Romans 8:1
So now there is no condemnation for all who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:17
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.
Jesus fulfilled the law and paid for our sin in full. We are no longer defined by our past but by what he did. Instead, we’re new people, sons and daughters of God, made righteous and blameless in his sight. We don’t have to listen to the barrage of accusations and regret that try to flood our minds.
The process of giving Jesus our guilt and shame won’t happen overnight. It will take continued surrender, discipline, and prayer. But it’s freeing to live in his grace instead of staying trapped by our “should haves.” Through Jesus, a new life has begun, and we can leave the condemnation behind.
Questions:
Do you have any regrets you feel trapped by?
Do you trust Jesus to carry that guilt and shame, or have you been trying to carry it on your own?
Next Steps:
Write down any areas of guilt or shame you have been holding onto and surrender them through prayer to Jesus.
Join a Group to find freedom from your hurts, habits, and hangups within a life-giving community.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your incredible grace and mercy. You’ve freed me from my guilt and shame, so please help me to live that out. I give my regrets to you; I don’t want to carry them on my own anymore. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Philippians 2:13
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.