More often than not, blame dominates our culture, if not our conscience. Whether it's in marriage, the workplace, the courtroom, or the local town meeting, we have the tendency to blame others for our problems. If we truly examine our own conscience to see what might lurk there, we can then discover many things that we were not even aware of. Sometimes there is a grudge or even a vendetta fermenting in our conscience. It's time to deal with it and release it. If your conscience bothers you, talk to our loving God and Father. He does look for us, as in the "prodigal son" narrative. If your conscience is shameful, God will handle this too.
Sometimes we feel justified about our feelings when we have been wronged, but how do we go about making things right again? To proceed with this, we must first make sure that hatred doesn't linger in our conscience or in our hearts, and, "Do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Ephesians 4: 26 RSV).
Sometimes we have to suffer a wrong in order to keep the peace. Look at what Jesus suffered on the cross; he was innocent, but there was a far greater purpose to be fulfilled in his suffering. Sometimes we just have to forgive an offense quickly. The one who actually is in the wrong will eventually have to come to grips with it and to God. Why go on with soul-destroying pain? That is exactly what Satan desires. We must cast our burden on the Lord. He says that "vengeance is mine" (Romans 12: 19). Obtain a good conscience.
Deep within ourselves our conscience guides us along -- that is, if it is intact. When we listen to that ancient, intrinsic, small voice, it is then and only then that we can see this world as it really is. We begin to see ourselves as we really are before God. None of us are so far away from that healing balm that we should still continue to languish in whatever ails us. Just don't rely on your own insight solely. I guarantee you that if you read the psalms and proverbs in the Book of books, you will find all the answers to your particular problem. You will also experience a total metamorphosis in your sojourn here on earth; yes, we are just passing sojourners.
Consider what our founding fathers have written regarding conscience:
A. "No provision of our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience" (Thomas Jefferson, signer of the Declaration).
B. "Consciences of men are not the objects of human legislation" (William Livingston, signer of the Constitution).
C. "Government is instituted to protect property of every sort... [and] conscience is the most sacred of all property" (James Madison, signer of the Constitution).
