Guilt Be Gone

The story is told about the old-time circuit-riding preacher who was visited by three men. They came to confess to him that twenty years before they had loaded his horse and buggy with a load of heavy rocks and hidden them so he wouldn't see them. They wanted to apologize because they still felt guilty about it for all these years. To which the preacher replied, "You have carried these rocks for twenty years. I only carried them for a day."

Simple story. Profound truth. There are three things we can do with guilt. We can bury (repress) it from conscious memory and deny it. We can suppress it; that is, be consciously aware of it but not do anything about it. Or we can confess and resolve it.

To repress or suppress guilt can and does affect one's health and often one's relationships. But to confess it and put things right brings great freedom and healing.