I Gave Up Guilt
by Marie T. Russell
Guilt! It may not be a four-letter word, but its effects on
the body, mind and emotions are deep. It used to be accepted as a way to keep
us on the path, but upon reflection I realized that its effect is the complete
opposite.
Think about it! When you feel guilty, what are you feeling
inside? Are you feeling Love, Joy, and the communion with the Divine? Or rather
are you feeling unworthy, unloved and overall 'not good enough?' Those feelings
definitely do not represent peace, love, and bliss.
Look at your own life and ask yourself what things you feel
guilty about. I suggest you make a list. Then ask yourself if there is anything
you can do NOW to change those situations. If there is, then go ahead and do
it. If not, then realize that the past is 'over and done with' and that nothing
will be gained by feeling guilty. Then, make a second list which will address
the things you feel others 'should' feel guilty about. And then ask the same
question. "Is there anything I can do now to change the situation?"
If not, let it go.
I recall situations in my past where I felt that if I let go
of my guilt or of my 'putting a guilt-trip' on someone else, the situation would
repeat itself. So, guilt was like an insurance policy or protection. If I had
guilt about something, then that would prevent the event from re-occurring. Now,
I realize that the opposite is true. When we feel guilty about something, we keep that thought-form in
our mind and, consequently, draw it to us. What you focus on expands. That
explains why people keep going through the same experiences over and over
again.
The best gift you can give your self and others is to let go
of guilt. Whether you are harboring it within yourself as unworthiness or
whether you feel resentment towards others, do yourself and your loved ones a
favor and give up guilt! It serves no purpose other than make everyone it
touches miserable. It does not make us a better person. It only reinforces our
belief that we are 'not good enough' and thus don't deserve love, peace,
prosperity, etc., or that others do not deserve our love.
Guilt is like a cancer eating away at the soul. It
diminishes feelings of self-love, self-esteem, self-worth, and deservability.
When directed towards others, it eats away at trust and love. Guilt is a punishment
you have inflicted on yourself and on others. Punishment only serves to create
deception and attempts at outsmarting the 'punisher.' Think of how children
(and sometimes adults) react to punishment. They either hide and repeat the same
behavior hoping they won't get caught, or they figure out a way to "fool
you" into thinking they are "behaving".
We are not the judge
and jury. We need to realize that everyone, including ourselves, are students
in this game of Life, and that as such we make 'mis-takes.' In movies,
sometimes many mis-takes are necessary before an acceptable scene is created.
So it is with our lives. Mis-takes are only learning opportunities. There is no
need to inflict guilt upon ourselves or others for an error committed in the
past.
We naturally need to do something many times before perfecting
it. Think of learning to walk, or riding a bike, or sailing, or anything
that we learn. We are rarely perfect at it the first time. So why should our
daily experiences be any different? If we were already perfectly loving beings,
we would have graduated from this school called planet earth, and moved on to
"our reward".
So stop being so hard on yourself. Rather than putting so
much energy into giving up chocolates, it is better to put your energy towards
giving up guilt, and then you'll find your craving for chocolates (for example)
will diminish and you'll be able to enjoy them much more when you do choose to
have some, and you'll also feel less of an urge to eat the whole box.
Live, Love, and Enjoy everything you do... whether it be
eating, working, playing, exercising, overeating, overworking, goofing off, or
being a couch potato... let go of the guilt, enjoy it all and you'll find your
'need' for the no-no's diminishing along with the guilt.
Have fun! Love Yourself! Remember, you are an innocent child
of God. And being a child, you are entitled to mis-takes and you are also
entitled to love and pleasure. Go for it!
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