By Adam Curtis
Lockdown provides us with the rare gift of time. A gift our pre-pandemic busy lives had forgotten. But even though time is a beautiful thing, it can be a fickle friend. For when we have an ocean of nothing in front of us, our minds can start to dwell upon the past. And what I find fascinating about this is that even though my life is full of joyful memories, it is on my mistakes that I linger.
Conversations that have gone wrong.
Friendships that have turned sour.
Actions taken with unseen negative consequences.
As I think upon these things guilt starts to bubble away. But is guilt always a bad thing? I will acknowledge that if it is the devil making us feel guilty, then that is a bad thing because he is the deceiver. But guilt can also be positive. When Nathan, under the direction of the Lord, rebuked King David for committing adultery the anguish he felt was a good thing as it made him repent.
However, if it is the devil or the Divine who has caused this guilt, the answer is always the same. For when our minds are consumed with past failures, we need God to draw us out of ourselves and to speak his words of love to us. Hear those words now from 1 Peter 2:24-25:
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
The past is but the past and it has no hold on us now. In short, Jesus has put it to bed. Our sin and our guilt were a sickness that has now been healed. Relationships may need to be rebuilt. An apology may need to be offered. Forgiveness may need to be asked for. But these mistakes are not what defines us anymore.
So, in this moment when we have all the time in the world, let us fix our minds upon Jesus. Let us live, breathe, act and rejoice, as men and women who are defined by a deeper reality, forgiveness.
