When we do something wrong, we normally feel guilty, and guilt feels bad. So do shame and a sense of conviction over wrongdoing. These emotions can be so painful that we can think they are a sign that something is wrong with us and that God wants nothing to do with us. Actually, just the opposite is true.

For example, my wife has long loved mushrooms. I am not a mushroom guy. In fact, at the smell of mushrooms on my wife's plate, I've been known to ask, "How can you eat fungi?"

So, naturally, when I see mushrooms in my yard or someone else's yard, I think that's a sign of something bad. What a surprise I had when I picked up the Sunday newspaper and saw on the front page of the Home & Garden section a spread of photos of various strange-looking mushrooms—including a big, ugly orange mushroom that looked like an alien—and read this subtitle: "They're sometimes marveled at, often misunderstood. But there are good reasons to welcome mushrooms that pop up in our yards."

That piqued my curiosity, and I just had to read about fungi. The author wrote: "Why are mushrooms important? Because fungi are 'nature's recyclers.' They take a major role in breaking down plant material to feed other organisms, including plants and the animals (and people) that eat them. Without fungi, life on land would be buried under undigested leaves and dead trees."

Mushrooms are actually just the occasional sign above the soil that fungi are alive and well in the soil. In the same way, when we do something wrong and feel guilty, that's just a sign that the soil of our heart is still healthy enough to know we've done wrong.

The fact that you feel true guilt and shame over your sin shows there is hope for you. God can still work in your soul.