Imagine walking around with a heavy load on your shoulders. Unless you were exceptionally strong, would you not become weighed down after awhile?
There is nothing necessarily wrong with feelings of guilt, but excessive guilt can be destructive: it could be just like carrying a heavy load around with us that ultimately weighs us down.
Please notice how King David described the excessive guilt he felt in Psalm 38:3-8.
(after reading)
Before Jehovah extended forgiveness to him, David felt sick and his guilt was like a heavy burden that he could not bear. Similarly, some today feel guilty because of sins they committed before becoming Witnesses or others feel discouraged because of sins committed after learning the truth. While not all guilt is bad and a healthy sense of guilt might help us to abandon a sinful course, the danger is excessive guilt. But just what do we mean by excessive guilt?
It means that the guilt one feels continues even after he/she has repented
and Jehovah has extended forgiveness (compare Proverbs 28:13). This kind of guilt can be
harmful and unbearably burdensome. Therefore, how can we avoid it?
Notice David's words in Psalm 39:4-5.
(after reading)
David emphasizes that life is short; it is like a quick breath or short exhalation. Consequently, instead of living in the past or reflecting on old mistakes, we need to look forward and make our future days count (Philippians 3:13). It is possible to concentrate on the future by putting spiritual goals first and obeying God's commands. Furthermore, it is imperative to use our time wisely (Ephesians 5:15-17).
However, despite our best efforts, feelings of excessive guilt might well up from time to time. One way to combat these feelings is found in Psalm 39:12.
(after reading)
Jehovah invites us to approach him in prayer and we should pray even if feelings of guilt make it difficult to pray. After all, Jehovah knows there are times when it's difficult for us to suppplicaste him. However, the holy spirit can plead in our behalf and we can use prayers recorded in the Bible like Psalm 51 or Psalm 65 when it''s difficult for us to articulate our thoughts. In the final analysis, Jehovah appreciates our sincere efforts and takes our whole life course into consideration.
May we take comfort in the words of Isaiah 55:7.
