GUILT FREE

Job 33:9
I am pure and without sin;
I am clean and free from guilt.



I recently read a tale about a painter who wanted to produce a portrait that would embody "innocence." He found a little child named Rupert and painted an image of him kneeling and praying beside his mother. His palms were reverently folded and his mild blue eyes upturned with an expression of devotion. The painter titled the portrait, Innocence. Years later, the same artist wanted to produce a counterpart to Innocence that would be titled, Guilt. The artist visited a nearby prison and found a wretched man lying on a damp floor of a jail cell. The prisoner’s body was horribly wasted and his eyes hollowed. In a ironic twist, the painter found out that this wretch was Rupert, his inspiration for Innocence. All of us have done things in the past that we are guilty and embarrassed of. Some things even haunt us at the mere mention of a reminder. We all need to forgive ourselves so that we won’t be imprisoned by our own guilt. After all, the Lamb of God has already forgiven and freed us. You can’t change your past, but today you can choose to do something about your future. Repent and ask God for forgiveness, and forgive yourself as well. Your mental, emotional and spiritual freedom is hanging in the balance.