May 19
The Stain
of Guilt
“But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.”
1 John 1:9 (NIrV)
Layla sat at her desk, staring at the blank journal in front of her. The house was silent, but her thoughts were deafening. The weight of a decision she had made years ago still hung heavy over her heart.
At 23, Layla had found herself pregnant and scared. She was working two jobs, barely making ends meet, and the father was long out of the picture. “I can’t do this,” she had told herself back then. She remembered the clinic visit vividly—the cold room, the kind but distant staff. She hadn’t cried that day, but now the tears came easily.
The years hadn’t dulled the guilt. She carried it everywhere she went, like a shadow. She tried to pray, but every time she folded her hands, she felt unworthy to approach God.
One Sunday, her friend Sarah convinced her to come to church. Layla hesitated, but deep down, she craved the peace Sarah always seemed to carry. The sermon that day was on forgiveness. The pastor’s voice was steady as he said, “There is no sin too great for God’s mercy. If we confess, He is faithful to forgive.”
The words struck a chord in Layla’s heart, but she couldn’t accept them. How could God forgive her when she couldn’t forgive herself?
That night, as she sat with her journal, she opened her Bible for the first time in months. Her eyes fell on 1 John 1:9. She read the words aloud, trembling.
“If we confess our sins, he will forgive every wrong thing we have done.”
Layla closed her eyes and whispered, “God, I don’t know if I deserve it, but I need Your forgiveness. I’ve carried this for so long, and it’s crushing me. Please, help me let it go.”
In that moment, something shifted. It wasn’t an instant release, but a small spark of hope lit in her heart. Over the weeks that followed, she started talking to God more honestly, laying her pain at His feet.
She also confided in Sarah, who listened without judgment. “God’s forgiveness isn’t about what we deserve,” Sarah reminded her. “It’s about His love for us.”
Layla began to see that the stain on her heart wasn’t permanent. She couldn’t undo the past, but she could walk forward, knowing God had made her pure again.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being a God of mercy and grace.
Today, I bring my guilt and pain to You, knowing You are faithful to forgive.
Help me to trust in Your love, even when I struggle to forgive myself.
Teach me to let go of the burdens I was never meant to carry alone.
Just as You renewed Layla’s heart, I ask You to renew mine.
Thank You for making us pure through Your Son.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
