So Much Guilt

…we can only take so much of it, before we say ‘enough’! I am not taking any more, each person has to be responsible for their own life. Yes, we have to carry each other’s burden, but there is a limit to this statement as well. How much of another person’s burden can we truly carry? when even the burden owner is struggling. We have our own burden as well to bear. And God helps that person that manages to forge forward somewhat, he or she is assumed to be responsible for taking care of all others. And God helps again if he or she can not deliver on that expectations. When we are of a certain disposition it is easy to feel guilty for this or that and everything in between. We are responsible for people that make wrong choices and can not get their lives together, we are held guilty for not giving any helping hand or not giving enough helping hand. We are then confused and drained from these perpetual guilt, needs and expectations that surrounds us. We no longer do anything out of willingness or “as a man purposes in his heart” but out of guilt. No love in our giving but a need to get some relief from the perpetual non ending onslaught of attack. We go around guilty, with the weight of the whole world on our shoulders.

This is not a way to live, we are not responsible for all the mis-steps and mistakes that other people make, no matter who they are and how close they are to us. We did not make their choices for them. Be them families or friends. I do not believe we are created to be responsible for people in that way. We should help people, I believe, giving a lending hand to a brother in need, but no we are not guilty, we are not responsible, no one is responsible for our own misdemeanour as well. We must not project or assume such guilt.

Life is littered with all the poor or wrong choices we and others have made, it can be heart wrenching to behold the consequences of such wrong choices. We might even sympathise with the circumstances that led to those choices, but we are not responsible and need not feel guilty.

Too much guilt render us helpless and ineffective. It weakens us. No we must stand our ground, be strong, reach out as we are led to but no we are not responsible and must not feel guilty. Let each man bears his own burden and let each as a ‘whole being’ reach out in love not in guilt.