I was recently reading again the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the part where God is walking through the garden in the evening breeze. The group I was in asked for comments on what that brought to mind, and for me it was guilt. This probably speaks volumes about me but as they hid behind that bush ashamed that they were naked, that they had eaten the forbidden fruit, I could feel their guilt.

As a child I well remember the feeling of having done something wrong and waiting, knowing I was going to be found out.....and somehow that feeling of guilt can stay with us throughout our lives. I remember a conversation with some friends when we all admitted how guilty we felt making time for ourselves if we hadn't done all the chores that week in the house. Stupid isn't it?

Guilt can be a crippling thing, yes there are consequences for the things we do, Adam and Eve were cast from the garden of Eden, but God did not stop loving them. In the same way, we may suffer consequences for things that we do wrong ,but if we repent we do don't need to add guilt to that burden, for God wants us to be free to enjoy this world and play a full part in it.

"I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly" John 10:10