After hurting someone’s feelings, Kylie and her mom had a conversation. This is how it ended:
Did you apologize to Jesus? Yes.
Did Jesus forgive you? Yes.
So, are you forgiven? Yes.
Do you still feel guilty? Yes.
Should you? Yes . . . wait . . . I mean no.
I bet you know what that’s like. Even when you apologize, you still feel guilty, ashamed, and embarrassed about your sin.
God has something to tell us about our sins, our forgiveness, and our sometimes guilty consciences. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done” (2 Corinthians 7:10,11 NIV).
After you’ve hurt someone’s feelings, Satan wants you to feel guilty, to hide, and to pretend it didn’t happen. God tells you that godly sorrow—being sorry because you broke his laws, not simply being sorry because you got caught—means you admit your sins, go to Jesus, and ask for forgiveness. Hearing that Jesus took that sin and washed it away means you don’t carry the guilty feeling around.
That doesn’t mean you pretend it never happened. Godly sorrow means you learn from your mistakes. You become more concerned about other people’s feelings, care about making sure it doesn’t happen again, and pass along forgiveness when someone hurts you.
Should you be sorry for your sins? Absolutely. Should you feel guilty? Absolutely not!
