"Guilt is an idol." -Bonhoeffer

Self-rejection and hatred are far too present in Christians. It was never intended to be this way. Too often we project our own self-hatred onto God, and it does not match up. Too often we assume God feels the same way about us that we fee about ourselves. This is impossible, of course, unless we are able to love ourselves relentlessly.

We have to destroy the idol of guilt and begin to accept ourselves as we really are. We are all wounded people and need to learn to accept that.

We, instead, either lacerate ourselves with guilt and shame, or hide our wounds with pretty faces and admirable manufactured presentations of ourselves. We hide behind those masks and never allow ourselves to be known as we are. Sadly, I often hide for so long behind some masks, I believe them; I forget who I really am.

Guilt remains an idol because my unwillingness to reveal myself as I am is an unwillingness to accept myself. That unwillingness to accept myself is my unwillingness to accept that God truly is a loving God.

How willing am I to be wounded; to accept that I am wounded? How willing am I to realize and accept that I am wounded without being immobilized by guilt?

How long will I worship the idol of guilt?