Why Do I Feel Bad When I Do Something Wrong?
Answer: When we do something wrong, we may feel bad because it hurts others. Or we may feel frustrated because we didn’t do what was best.
Also, we may feel guilty because we have let God down. God wants us to do right, so he built a warning system in us to alert us when we are about to do something wrong.
That warning system is called a conscience. If we get too close to a fire, the heat warns us to move away before we get hurt.
Our conscience warns us that doing bad things will hurt us if we do them.
Key verses: I am no longer sorry that I sent that letter to you. I was very sorry for a time. I knew how much it would hurt you.
But it hurt you only for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it. Not because it hurt you but because the pain turned you to God.
It was a good kind of sadness you felt. It was the kind of sadness God wants his people to have. So I don’t need to come to you and be rough.
God sometimes uses sadness to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. We should never be angry that he has sent it.
But the sadness of the man who is not a Christian doesn’t change him. It brings him more death. (2 Corinthians 7:8-10)
Related verses: Acts 24:16; Romans 2:15; 1 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 3:16
Related questions: Why do I feel guilty? What is guilt?
Note to parents: There’s a difference between guilt feelings and a true sense of wrong.
Some children are supersensitive and feel guilty about almost everything they do.
If that describes your child, help him or her understand the depth of God’s love and forgiveness.
What Does God Want Me To Do When I Do Something Wrong?
Answer: The first thing we should do is to pray and admit to God what we have done.
We should tell him that we are sorry and that we want him to help us not to do it again.
Also, we should ask God to help us learn from the experience. Admitting our sins to God brings us back close to him.
Remember, God wants to protect us and to provide all we need for living. So we should stay close to him and talk with him about everything.
Try praying when you first think of doing something wrong. God can help you avoid or get out of trouble.
If our sin has hurt others, we should talk to them, too, saying we’re sorry and asking for their forgiveness.
Key verse: If we confess our sins, he can be depended on to forgive us. He will cleanse us from every wrong. It is proper for God to do this because Christ died for our sins. (1 John 1:9)
Related verses: Matthew 5:23-24
Related questions: Is it wrong to not confess something I did wrong? Do I have to do everything right?
Note to parents: If your child comes to you with a confession, see it as a teachable moment-help the child see what can be learned from it.
Be gentle, loving, and forgiving; otherwise the child may be unwilling to come to you again. Often children are strapped with guilt.
If so, consider rituals that can help free them from it, such as writing down their sins on a piece of paper, talking with God about them, and then tearing up the paper together.