This morning, I woke with the same old condemning thoughts about yesterday. I review it all: the awkward or hurtful things I said, the tasks left undone, a poor performance in one area, an indulgence in another (yes, it involved food!).
I proclaim the truth of Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I remember how I enter the throne of grace with confidence; in fact, I recall the entire chapter I wrote on condemning thoughts in Guarded by Christ.
But shame and guilt still sneak in.
Sometimes they attack and momentarily overpower. But we stand in confession, repentance, and forgiveness. We stand in truth. We stand in the assurance of—and the miracle of—1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgiven our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I think of shedding yesterday’s old skin, of dusting off the cobwebs, of starting fresh. Yesterday’s failures do not harm my identity in Christ; they do not harm me or take God’s love from me. They stand as instructive lessons on the path to maturity. I take the nuggets of wisdom I learn from yesterday–but not the shame and guilt–and I move on into the bright, new day.