Wash Your Hands

I once had a conversation with a friend about guilt and shame. Sometimes, believers struggle with that even after repenting. The Bible talks about how if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9). We know that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins, so we didn’t have to, but somehow, some of us still find ourselves wrestling with guilt and shame.

She told me about a time when she felt guilty after repenting for something, and the Lord told her to “wash her hands.” She didn’t understand what He meant by that or what it had to do with her situation. When she shared this with me, I got a revelation that changed my perspective.

Picture this: You decided to work outside in the garden without gardening gloves. You’re digging in the dirt, moving plants around, and tending to your garden as usual. When you finish, you notice that you have dirt and debris all over your hands and under your nails, so you wash your hands, scrub around and under your nails, and then proceed with your day as usual. Shortly after, you decide to eat a slice of pizza for lunch. Like most people, you pick up your slice with your hand when you’re ready to bite. While eating, you aren’t thinking about how dirty your hands were earlier from working in the garden.

Why is it then that after we repent and acknowledge that the Blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all unrighteousness, we still feel unclean and hold on to guilt and shame?

In the same way we believe that our hands are clean after they’ve been washed, we should have faith and believe that the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from sin.

Remember these two things the next time you find yourself wrestling with guilt or shame after you’ve repented: You’ve already been forgiven. Forgiveness isn’t something we have to look forward to because it’s already been done. God already had it in his heart to forgive us, so He sent the solution before us.

You’re not defined by or bound by the moments where you fell short. God doesn’t hold what we turned away from over our heads, so why should we? Next time guilt or shame tries to creep in after you’ve repented, remember that you’ve been washed clean by the precious Blood of Jesus.