Guilt Tripping - When it's a Good Thing

  At the end of September, I found an amazing website called www.365project.org.  In a nutshell, you commit to taking one photo a day for a year and posting it on this site.  I HAD to do it.  I wanted to practice and grow my photography and begin thinking outside the box.  So, I set up an account and began (entheusiastically) snapping away and posting every day.  But as the days passed (really, it wasn't that many, maybe a week at the most) my entheusiasm began lagging.  Sure, I was still snapping every day (or every other day) and posting them when I could but my initial excitement was gone.
 
  My last picture was posted on October 3, 2011.  My friends, that was 2 months and 11 days ago. 

  Honestly, I haven't given the project any but a passing thought during the past two months.  But that changed when last night one of my good friends posted on my 365 facebook album, "are you still doing this? your last picture was October 3rd....."!  Bring on the guilt.....And, of course the motivation.

  So that got me thinking, I'm glad she made me guilty (not intentionally of course) because now I plan to pick up my camera today and begin the project again.

  Which brought up some more deeper thoughts.  We don't see guilt as a good thing.  Normally it's associated with something negative.  But when guilt leads you to DO SOMETHING or CHANGE SOMETHING in your life to a positive, then it's a good thing. 

  On the spiritual side, guilt and shame and sorrow over the wrong things you've done can lead you to repentance.  2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."  When God shows you that you have done something wrong and it needs to be changed and you follow God's recipe for forgiveness (1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) then you can begin living your life anew, in a positive way!

  Bottom line, I am thankful for my friend's unintentional guilt trip.

Sara