The Gospel is Killing Me

I love hearing stories about how the gospel is changing people's lives. In response to last week's post, Start A Revolt at The Factory, I received the following email. I'm posting this email because I think many people who grow up in Christian homes go through this same shattering and sweet gospel transformation later in life. Below are three paragraphs of the email:

...Thank you for posting your essay about idols. I grew up hearing Calvin's words, but I didn't understand how it applied to my heart. I didn't understand anything more than the abstract idea that I was prone to idolatry; I didn't see the ugliness of my heart. (I still only get glimpses of it.) I still find myself questioning the gospel-centered understanding of the Bible because it is so different from how I thought about it growing up. Hearing that approach confirmed by you and other sources outside of my immediate community is encouraging ... so thank you for sharing some of your ministry work online so that I (and others) can be blessed by it.The gospel is killing me these days. What I'm reading and hearing is a complete reversal of what I thought Christianity was. As of last night, I'm trying to wrap my mind around the concept of repenting for all the reasons I ever did "good" things. Lol, and being the moralistic / legalistic person I am, I now want to repent so that I'm doing something right! Ugh. I want to give God my righteousness :( and he's not letting me.I feel the gospel as thrilling and amazing when I'm feeling the weight of my sin or when I see the ugliness of my sin. But, when I'm not feeling that (most of the time), hearing from you and others about the gospel and why we need it is what I need to hear...

Question: Does This Sound Familiar?