GoodNews

with the guilt in his life not only ended in the loss of his kingdom but also in the death of his son Jonathan and his own suicide . A Cure For Guilt We are not designed by God to live with guilt. It can be very destructive when it takes the form of shame, false guilt or just not prop- erly dealt with as seen in Saul’s life. True guilt has a designed purpose to pin- point attitudes or actions where we depart from God’s life principles. This is referred to as sin or trans- gressing God’s commands. These phrases, sin and transgressing, do not sound very politically correct. Using them in today’s age of relativism opens one to the charge of being intoler- ant, prejudiced or even big- oted. However, to not use them is to leave people trapped in their guilt in all its forms and consequences. This would be as criminal as a doctor who refused to di- agnose anyone with a dis- ease for fear of offending them. No diagnosis would result in no treatment. They would just be left to die. How caring is that? God loves us too much to do that to us. God’s cure for guilt is relatively simply and com- prehensive. He tells us in Colossians 2.13, “You who were dead in your tres- passes… God made alive together with him (Christ), having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal de- mands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” God declares us guilt free because Christ has paid the debt we owe. Guilt is not the only cause of mental illness, but it is a big cause of much of it. Unlike King Saul, if we acknowl- edge our guilt, repent, be- lieve in and accept Christ’s payment for our sin debt, we can experience the guilt free life and mental health. Sometimes the solution to a mood disorder is not spend- ing a lot of money on coun- seling. Rather it could be as simple as receiving God’s free gift of forgiveness. Dr. John Hawkins, Sr. runs Gateway Counseling Center in Boynton Beach along with his son John Jr. He can be reached by visiting gatewaycounseling.com . Palm Beach County