In a recent conversation a friend said:
“Guilt is a temporary
grace.”
I found this sentence intriguing so I
have been pondering it and sharing it with others ...
“Guilt is a temporary
grace.”
It presents us with three peculiar
concepts: guilt, temporary, grace.
It seems to me that the central word,
temporary, is significant. It
locates us in time, a fleeting or transitory moment in time.
It
invites the question: Which state is meant to be temporary – guilt
or grace – or both?
And
what about guilt? How often do we consider the purpose of guilt? Isn't
it a sensation that could be associated with “oops”? As in “Oops, I
took a wrong turn.” or “Oops, that wasn't a loving action.”
But
how many of us allow guilt to stay on and on as an uninvited guest?
What happens when guilt becomes a constant presence?
... And that elusive word, grace ...
If grace is understood as the
freely given gift of divine love and mercy, are there ever-changing
expressions of that grace? Does the moment determine the
manifestation (the particular form) of the grace received?
Divine loving mercy equips us with
specific gifts so we might undergo healing and transformation ...
Guilt, then, is grace's gentle nudge. “Start
fresh ... now ... I'll help you do it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment