Choosing Grace Over Guilt: A Brave Lesson on the Effects of Shame
By Julie Lefebure
God's Brave Women - Julie's Story
The weight on my chest made it hard to breathe. I guess it had resided there for so long, it just became a part of me. Until the day it was too much to bear and I found myself in the hospital with a racing heart rate that would not slip back into its normal rhythm.
This weight was not any old weight, though. Its name was scribbled on it in big, bold letters. GUILT.
Lying there in the hospital, I was scared. Why is this happening? I’m too young for heart problems. It wasn’t until later I learned the negative effects of lingering guilt on our bodies. Guilt can wreak havoc on our nervous systems, it affects our digestive systems, it can increase blood pressure, and its effects on the cardiovascular system can be life-threatening.
No matter how much I tried to hide it or pretend it wasn’t there, guilt consumed my life. Here, my heart was displaying the effects of guilt’s stress placed upon my body. My cardiologist called it tachycardia. God called it a wake-up call.