I am the first person to tell you there is real guilt. If guilt is because I need to fess up to something, I did or said, I should do it and not look back. "Fess up" is a short form of saying confess what I have done. As a mom, I have needed to apologize to my children many times. I have needed to confess my sin (wrong doing) to God even more.
There are other events that I mentally “beat myself up.” This is when I think, “I let my child down. I could of done this better"(fill in the blank for “this”). Honestly, I did the best I knew how in those situations.There is nothing good about taking on this false guilt! Does it help my child? No! Does it help me? No! Does it help anyone else? The answer is no!
If I need to apologize, I should do it. Then it’s over. I don’t need to rehearse it over and over in my mind or with anyone else. I need to let it go. If it’s false guilt, I need to just move on.
Don’t waste time on false guilt! You’ll have so much more time and energy for the people you love.
