“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

Confession is good for the soul! I don’t know about you, but confession had never been my strong point before recovery; that could be why guilt and shame was so ingrained in my being. I had always felt I wasn’t good enough for God, crazy isn’t it. Especially when the greatest love and the brightest light known to us is Jesus; he sought us out, took care of our sin and said we are forgiven, we are loved, we are redeemed, we are important, and we are children of God. There is a difference between guilt and shame. Godly sorrow (guilt) can lead us to repentance, but worldly sorrow (shame) leads to destruction. God lets us know when we get sideways with him; in AA we called it a God consciousness, in CR and our Christian faith it is the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t allow guilt in us to make us feel unloved, he uses it to bring us into a right relationship  with him through repentance. If I don’t confess my faults to God and to another, guilt and shame take over and resentment and bitterness becomes my daily bread. Guilt is what we feel when we make a mistake, shame is the lie we are the mistake. Whether you feel guilt or shame, take it all to God. He doesn’t make mistakes, he made you! “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16 Love God. Love people; Jesus first. Peace be with you! Dana Cramer Celebrate Recovery // Crossroads Church