Motivated by grace or guilt?

"Glad that you are at peace with different seasons in your life and are able to embrace even the quieter, more reflective and seemingly non productive moments in your life. Look after your own needs a bit more, especially at this age. One major 'fault' in you is your oversized guilt complex! (heritage of the zealous evangelical which is so hard to be freed from)."

So wrote a good friend of mine in answer to my email recently. I had written to her wondering if I was really involved enough in all the different streams of Christian spirituality - the evangelical, social justice, holiness, contemplative, charismatic, incarnational traditions (as named by Richard Foster in "Streams of Living Water"). It was one of those times when I began to reflect on where my energies are to go in the coming year......Where am I drawn .....where is God leading me? Am I missing something by staying in my comfort zones...? These questions can go on and on in one who has an "oversized guilt complex"!!

It is sad but true that much of our evangelical faith has focused on guilt rather than grace to motivate people. We hear it in the preaching, in the calls to service and in every area where Christians are asked to "get involved" or to "give more time and money". Is there no way out of this baggage? Or do we take grace so lightly that the church has to use guilt to motivate us? Are we horrible miserable sinners or are we of great worth made in the image of God, although also very broken? Are we loved by God because we have shaped up and are diligent and zealous or in spite of it?

I believe that when we know, really know (an experienced knowledge) our beauty and belovedness, we will move in tune with the leadings of God - no need to be pushed and prodded with the guilt stick. We will be "drawn" by grace - as bees to honey......and I believe Jesus acted this way with sinners. He drew them to himself, to God by acts of grace rather than rubbing their noses in the mud of their guilt. And after really, really meeting him in this way - most of them wanted to 'follow' him along the way. Those who continued to reject him did so; and he did not bother to prod them with guilt.

I am glad my friend who knows me very well pointed out an area where I often trip up. I guess after many years of being formed in this way (through guilt) it is hard to shake off. Only God's grace can free me......can free all of us, if we want that freedom.