Ditch The Guilt - Christian Ladies by Jo Scheidt

Take that out of your bag—you’re not meant to carry it!

Guilt can rob you of the joy and relationship with God you are meant to carry in your day-to-day living. We choose to carry guilt when we fall short of our goals or when we know we’ve sinned.

Sometimes we take something good, like prayer, and give opportunity for guilt to plague us when we don’t meet expectations we think are on us.

• Do you have prayer goals?

• Do you find it hard to fit prayer into your day?

• How should your prayer life look?

• Is there a right way and a wrong way to pray?

• Do you feel guilty if you go all day without praying?

Are those the right questions?

Those are the kinds of questions that can lead to overwhelm and guilt when we don’t put them in their proper place.

What if you could break free from all of those expectations on you as a Christian woman?

Let’s look at it this way: Do you ask yourself those questions when it comes to talking with your friends? Probably not every day, right? You might occasionally feel guilty for not getting back to someone, but, generally, you don’t carry the weight of all those questions regarding talking with friends. Right?

If you do, you and I need to talk!

The questions above that cause anxiety and guilt do not come from God. The expectations we put on ourselves (and others) of what a Christian woman is supposed to be or act like are harmful. We should be cautious about the unnecessary weight we place upon our shoulders. We should not carry the burdens that Jesus placed on himself so we wouldn’t have to!

God doesn’t want you living under that kind of heaviness and bondage. Spend time in confession, and then accept His kind forgiveness and move forward. Leave it with Him, and don’t pick it back up again to carry with you. It’s not yours!

In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)

What God puts on you is NOT heavy. It’s light. And it’s both kinds of light, meaning not heavy and also not dark!

We need to believe the Scriptures when it says: “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12 ESV)

What does any of that have to do with prayer? Everything!

Does your best friend understand when you don’t call one day? She probably knows what you’re doing instead. Right? She’s got it all figured out and isn’t sitting there insecure and wondering if you care. The only way to have that kind of relationship with God is to cultivate one as you did with your best friend!

How? Let’s take a look at how you and your friend are so close. You meet up with your friend and talk about all of your likes and dislikes. You eat at restaurants together. You know each other’s food choices if you want to order for each other when one is running late. You know if your friend wants lemon in her water. Knowing all of these things about your friend comes from repeatedly meeting together, doing things, and talking with each other for hours.

It’s really no different when it comes to your relationship with God. To know God and hear what He has to say, sit with Him and read your Bible. Tell Him of your likes and dislikes. Even though He already knows them, and better than you do, He loves to hear you tell Him. He loves to listen to your heart and voice. Did you know that? That’s a relationship with God! There’s more—like staying put to hear God’s heart, too. Plan a day or half-day out with God! Just you and Him!

Do you see how this is a much lighter version of the expectations we add for ourselves and others? It’s a different mindset. How do you feel when you’re getting ready to go out with your friend? It’s not a feeling of dread or duty, but light and exciting! Sometimes you get dressed up; you look forward to it!

Don’t you wish you could spend all day with your best friend sometimes? It’s hard to cut a fun conversation short.

What if this was your description of your time spent with God?

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” (Acts 2:28 NIV)

I want to give you some FREE RESOURCES to help you with your relationship with God and your prayer life. My greatest joy is to see a woman discover who she really is in God and then walk with the kind of confidence found in knowing she is a Daughter of the King.

There is NO condemnation, and NO chains found on her—only a quiet confidence that can stare down every tsunami in life.

Drop the guilt—Grace to you!

Jo Scheidt

Jo Scheidt writes to empower women to experience a deeper, more intimate level of joy and awareness in their relationship with God, ultimately discovering their purpose and true identity. Jo’s website is found at https://realwithgod.com/

Photo by Karen Ruhl

But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” Luke 8:23-25 NKJV

Photo by Karen Ruhl