How do you deal with guiltiness in things you can't handle?

[ArtlicBunny]

For an example: Work gives you "optional" shifts to take, but you decided to not to take them. You feel guilty even though you didn't even have to do them. You feel guilty when you work 60 hours a week, and said no to a extra shift afterwards because you are exhausted.

Why?

There are many things in this world we aren't capable to be responsible for, and we can't do ourselves. Why do we get so guilty of things that we can't accomplish or need to back away from because it'll make us collapse?
Why can't we just give it to God?

I get this feeling a lot about responsibility. I get it about things I can't even do. Even when it might overwhelm me, I would feel guilty for not doing it. I don't understand myself in this spot. I know God won't give us what we can't handle, and I don't think He wants us overwhelmed or overworked to the point of frustration. (There is only so much we can do anyways!)

I just hate the feeling not being able to do something because its beyond my reach, and having my mental state be bullied by repeating that I am utterly useless and lazy for not doing so. Can't tell if its the devil or myself. (I get the feeling it may be both!)

Please give me your insight, your story(?), and your prayers.

Thank you!

 

[fozzy]

Guilt is highly subject to your own individual understanding of right and wrong. This can be further complicated by Christians who seem to all have a different take on the matter.

The best and most accurate standard from the bible is God's love which puts him first and our neighbor second but if you are working so hard that you're hurting yourself than that's not good either.

This little voice that constantly beats you up for not working hard enough is probably not from God because Jesus said 'come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest' Matt. 11:28

 

[chapmic]

Some guilt is from the devil, you have to guard your thoughts. We all have good thoughts and bad thoughts, the enemy wants you to think about the bad thoughts to confuse you and to not make you focus on God's glory. There is also Godly guilt but that stems from sadness that leads to repentance. The work thing sounds like its from the devil so you shouldn't feel guilty about that. Guard your thoughts, the bible explains more about what thoughts are from Godly guilt and what thoughts are from the devil to attempt to shame you. I will pray for you! God bless!

 

[BryanW92]

For an example: Work gives you "optional" shifts to take, but you decided to not to take them. You feel guilty even though you didn't even have to do them. You feel guilty when you work 60 hours a week, and said no to a extra shift afterwards because you are exhausted.

Why?

There are many things in this world we aren't capable to be responsible for, and we can't do ourselves. Why do we get so guilty of things that we can't accomplish or need to back away from because it'll make us collapse?
Why can't we just give it to God?

I get this feeling a lot about responsibility. I get it about things I can't even do. Even when it might overwhelm me, I would feel guilty for not doing it. I don't understand myself in this spot. I know God won't give us what we can't handle, and I don't think He wants us overwhelmed or overworked to the point of frustration. (There is only so much we can do anyways!)

I just hate the feeling not being able to do something because its beyond my reach, and having my mental state be bullied by repeating that I am utterly useless and lazy for not doing so. Can't tell if its the devil or myself. (I get the feeling it may be both!)

Please give me your insight, your story(?), and your prayers.

Thank you!

You hit on the difference between my wife and I with regards to overtime. If she gets told to work OT, she does it to exhaustion and feels guilty for being so tired that she can't be as productive as she would if she was rested.

On the other hand, I spent some time in the Navy and I value my free time and rest time, so its going to take more than a guilt trip to get me to work any OT that I don't want. If they try to appeal to my sense of duty, I remind them that it is within their power to hire more help.

It is the same for church work. She can't say no to anyone so she gets stressed out from the things she does for church. I have no problem saying "Not now." If they need it now, they can find someone else and if they want me, they can wait until I have time.

The bottom line is: NEVER feel guilty for not working hard enough for anyone. Your life is finite and no one ever laid on their deathbed saying, "I wish I had worked more OT."

 

[Bramwell]

With regard to guilt in general, it's good to differentiate between conviction and condemnation. Both can cause guilt, though conviction from God usually comes with a solution attached. If there is no solution, then it's just condemnation, which we should reject in Jesus' name.

Guilt works together with our conscience, and it's important to realize that our conscience can be trained. Primarily we should shape our conscience and sense of morality off the Bible as Christians. But we should also be aware of other factors which influence our "conscience", such as public opinion, or cultural traditions, etc. There really is great freedom in Christ; ultimately we have to make our decisions based on love, and not fear of what others think of us. With prayer and fellowship with other Christians, this difficult task does in fact become achievable.

 

[trulyconverted]

For an example: Work gives you "optional" shifts to take, but you decided to not to take them. You feel guilty even though you didn't even have to do them. You feel guilty when you work 60 hours a week, and said no to a extra shift afterwards because you are exhausted.

Why?

There are many things in this world we aren't capable to be responsible for, and we can't do ourselves. Why do we get so guilty of things that we can't accomplish or need to back away from because it'll make us collapse?
Why can't we just give it to God?

I get this feeling a lot about responsibility. I get it about things I can't even do. Even when it might overwhelm me, I would feel guilty for not doing it. I don't understand myself in this spot. I know God won't give us what we can't handle, and I don't think He wants us overwhelmed or overworked to the point of frustration. (There is only so much we can do anyways!)

I just hate the feeling not being able to do something because its beyond my reach, and having my mental state be bullied by repeating that I am utterly useless and lazy for not doing so. Can't tell if its the devil or myself. (I get the feeling it may be both!)

Please give me your insight, your story(?), and your prayers.

Thank you!

Maybe you are trying to be responsible for the things you are not? Or you are doing it to get someone else's praise? Or you are trying to please your boss? Or a family member, or someone?

Maybe someone else close to you is making you feel guilty because your working overtime benefits them?

Maybe you need to do some self-examination, or examine your environment really closely, the people around you... To see what or who is making you feel guilty?

Once you pinpoint who or what is causing this whole guilt trip, then you can go from there and plan the next step.

Just a suggestion, as have been there before.

 

[FanthatSpark]

Blessings bunny,

Furtherance of trulyconverted, your guilt stems from expectations of self or someone else and it seems deeply ingrained in you bunny. Someone else mentioned training of consciousness and the verse to that is Rom: 12-2. Jesus says his burden is lite. What is lighter than joy? To train yourself in finding that smile in knowledge of your salvation takes a season to drop all pretenses of self & others in that they can not judge you in love. Self and others judge by evil means for we have not the ability to totally loose hate/envy etc,,,etc... Thus, impossible self guilt bunny. That is a road to madness for the believer when one gives self over to guilt. KNOW this through and through bunny... You are saved as it "was" written from before Adam and bask in that knowledge every day for Jesus is not a sometimes savior but an all the time savior even while we sin. As we mature through the Word the desire to bring pain to Jesus in our iniquities lessens as we mature in the "want" to live righteously. Three points in training...

Read the Word under the umbrella of 1 Cor. 13 4-7. Suggest NT only if you have stated Jesus is your savior until you are most confident in His unwavering love of you.

Knowing that self and others expectations stem from evil to produce guilt for we try to please self and others before God = Faith in Him first.

Finding that wonder as the child we all were and it brings continuous joy that radiates
from the inside out to others for you have captured confidence of His love and hope
1 Peter 3:15 for someone will ask bunny... Why you always smiling? Then verse 16 comes into play. People are jealous of continuous happiness and will condemn behind the back or at times right in front of us and now implementation of verse 17 comes into play.


Sweet Bunny... A lot of this is written out of assumption that you are a saint that is bombarded with a lying conscious. Guilt is not where God lives. 1 John 4:8 & 16 is where God lives and we do not continuously live there and that is our flaw in sin to entertain guilt. For me, it took a long while to understand there is nothing "I" can do, even living in righteousness, if God is not at the forefront and this vessels salvation is a done deal and NO MAN can take that away. So, find that smile bunny in confidence and be a God pleaser and not a people pleaser (including self). Check this... God would rather you be enjoying His sunshine in a park somewhere and saying God bless you to people who walk by than you working a job before Him... That is idolatry of job and money before God, just something to think on... prayers to your situation ...

 

[Sketcher]

I believe I amputated that part of my conscience long ago.