GUILT FEELINGS

                       BE GLAD THOSE GUILTY FEELINGS ARE THERE

       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 least five 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 (excerpt)