The guilt that distances us
Many times, when we fail, the first feeling that arises is not repentance, but shame. It makes us retreat, fall silent, and distance ourselves from God, as if our mistake had made us unworthy of His presence. However, this reaction reveals something deeper: at some level, we still believe that the Gospel revolves around us. But the center was never us. It has always been Christ. Accepted by works “Hearing the man and his wife the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” Genesis 3:8–10 Since Eden, shame has been a human response to sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, they did not run toward God—they hid from Him. Guilt produced distance, and distance produced fear. Shame is born when we believe God looks at us through our failure rather than through His love. When we fail and find it difficult to draw near, it reveals that […]
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