Overwhelming Redemption

On Friday evening I went to a service called theMill. It is for college students and 20-somethings. I was impressed with how many people would come to a church service on a Friday evening. Yes! The pastor began his message with a disclaimer that some of us may get a Holy-Spirit-kick-in-the-face, and if we weren't open to that, we weren't in the right place. Bring it on Holy Spirit! With my sometimes blindness and often times stubbornness, I do need those kicks in the face to be brought face to face with my transgressions.
And why would I want that? I have become so aware that though it hurts and is humbling to realize our brokeness as humans, God rewards our honesty and ability to offer every part of our heart to Him. He touches places in our hearts that are not fully His if we allow Him to. When we expose the things that are hidden He looks us in the face and says, "I see exactly what happened and exactly what you did. My love for you will not change because of this. I understand how it hurts you even more than you do. I want to take it away, to fix it. Thank you for coming to me! I want to help. Will you allow me to?" And if we can so much as nod our heads, He embraces us. We are overcome with the realization of His glory that though we are aware of the pain of Him pulling the sliver out our hearts, it is in a way heavenly. He then fills the void with Perfect Love, and ordains the scar that is left as a sign of His redemption.
It seems to me that we often focus on feeling bad about our transgressions. This will lead to repentance and hopefully running to God with our slivers, but until Friday I missed the Truth about what happens after feeling the guilt. During the service I was presented the message to feel guilt for my slivers(sins). I looked into my heart and realized I felt no guilt. Then I felt guilty for feeling no guilt! I thought if I didn't feel guilty that no one would know that I knew that what I did was wrong. God then stopped me and made me FULLY aware that I do not need to feel guilt any more, because He has pulled out every sliver I have exposed to Him! They are gone and there's no reason for me to try to put the sliver back into my heart. I should feel redeemed and overjoyed, and that's how I felt! God's redeeming power is so great that no matter how much time has passed since I messed up, it is GONE as soon as I allow Him to pull the sliver out. He is glorified because I am redeemed! Our guilt does not give Him glory, being redeemed does. The more guilt we had, the more He redeemed us. We do not even need to hide our scars-because they glorify Him. I rejoice in what God has done for me, and though He will continue to reveal slivers to me, I can now bring them to Him with a lot less fear of the temporary pain pulling them out brings.
God has made me very aware of what happens when I hold on to my pain and guilt, so I welcome the Holy Spirit kicks in the face. Bring them on because then I feel the temporary guilt that brings me humbly to my Father who loves me with such a perfect love and possesses the heavenly tweezers. And I will allow the world to see the joy that comes from letting God fill every new area of my heart that I reveal. I humbly offer it all to Him.