What to do about certain types of guilt

Sometimes people feel guilty because they're frightened of whether or not they are doing God's will.

When you are new in a business as an ignorant junior, the boss says, 'do whatever I say and I'll be pleased with you'. You do what he says without a thought: you are pleased; he is pleased. Give it a few years, and you think you know better than the boss. If you do what the boss says, you're conflicted because you don't entirely trust his direction. If you do what you want instead, you're conflicted because you're frightened the boss will find out, or maybe that the boss is right.

How do you have a life? You live one day at a time. How do you know that is right? Well, try living two days at once. You can't. So you have to live one day at a time. The same goes for moments. You can't live two moments at once. So the only job is to go to God and ask what to do in the next moment. Then you do what comes to you instinctively as the best, having tested the insight if necessary against spiritual principles (giving not getting, love, fearlessness, prudence, tact, consideration, etc.), and checking it out with your favoured advisor. And then you get on with it, trusting that it is likely right, that God will let you know in due course if it is wrong, so there is no point in fussing over it, and admitting it promptly if it is revealed to be an error.

Be the ignorant junior, not the usurping middle manager. There are no grown-ups in God's kingdom. And even if you're mishearing God, the desire to please God, it is said, itself pleases God.