By: Andrew Miller
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2
I work as a bakery manager. In my time as a manager I have, by the grace of God, been able to hone my skill set to be able to avoid making the same mistakes that were commonly made on my journey from part-time baker to bakery manager. But I recently made a mistake that was as avoidable as they come.
One major part of my job is to deliver outstanding customer service. Everything from a friendly smile and “hello,” to showing customers where to find a product, all to achieve this goal. I also frequently take special customer orders. And this is where I fell short.
A customer ordered a cake that they would pick up a few days later. I took the order as normal, save for taking the customer’s phone number. Normally the phone number is written down so we can call if there is an issue with the order. I didn’t write down a phone number in this case. I didn’t write it down because I knew the customer, and in my arrogance, I thought that there was no way that there would be any issues. I thought that I could easily make sure that the order was taken care of. But what I didn’t account for was the uncontrollable. Our supplier shorted the order, and I didn’t receive the cake that I needed. And because I didn’t write down a phone number, I had no way to let the customer know until they arrived expecting their cake.
After my shift I had some time to reflect on the situation, and I couldn’t help but think about how there are examples in Scripture, most notably King David, where a small mistake or sin snowballed into a much larger problem. I had been prideful and arrogant and sinned in this situation, even though it may seem like a relatively small mistake in the grand scheme of life, for me in the moment, I was filled with guilt.
My guilt this week didn’t stop there. I have two young kids, and for anyone who has or has had young kids in the past you know that bedtime is not always smooth sailing. One night in particular my son, who is three, refused to go to sleep. It was getting to be several hours past his bedtime, we all had to wake up early the next morning, and he was being so loud that he woke up his little sister. I did not act properly in the situation and was sinfully angry with my son, and this was accompanied shortly after with a wave of guilt.
Isn’t it such a challenge to react in a Christ-like way when you feel like you have been pushed to the limit? I know that if I had been thinking like Christ in the moment, I would have had been much more patient with my son rather than being quick to anger. As we are reminded in Proverbs 14:29, “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”
Do we make mistakes that are weighted with guilt? Does our sin burden us with guilt? It is easy to look at our lives and focus on the negatives. It is easy for us to see our sin and be weighed down by the guilt that comes along with it. It is easy to focus on ourselves and not on our Saviour.
Guilt doesn’t have to be a bad thing when it comes to our failures and sin. The feelings of guilt we have could be a conviction from the Holy Spirit. It is important to be receptive to these convictions, and not to harden our hearts or indulge in self pity. Yet, when the challenges of life come, this is easier said than done.
But the glorious news of the gospel is what brings us relief and hope during these times of guilt. Christ has set us free from slavery to sin and set us free from the guilt of sin (John 8:36). His sacrificial atonement on the cross paid the penalty for our sin and gave us freedom and made us righteous before God (1 John 2:2), (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are set free not just from our sin, but the weight and guilt of our sin as well (Romans 8:1).
Sometimes the gospel message can be put in a back corner of our minds, just to be used if someone asks about it. But the truth is that the gospel is just as important for us today as it was on the day we received Christ as Saviour. I have been reminded this week that I need to embrace the gospel every day. It is my prayer that we take some moments to dwell on the glorious freedom found in Christ this week.
