Confession. Boy, has that word begun to hold some negative connotations. The accused, a lawyer, a couple of police officers, a legal pad, and a pen all sitting in a room around a little bitty table trying to uncover the truth. Here confession is the admission of guilt and the beginning of indictment. In this context we understand confession to mean that one realizes he or she is left with no other alternative. They have been caught “with their hand in the cookie jar” and all of the evidence is stacked against them. At this point, the best thing for them to do is admit their guilt and beg for mercy.
“He confessed!” When you hear words like that you begin to think that some ugly, guilty, despicable person has finally been caught and will soon get what they have coming to them (justice). When you put it that way, no wonder we think so negatively about confession. But that is what the world, and worldly values, tend to do to some very healthy and beautiful components of Christianity.
Confession was actually meant to be a good thing; one broken sinner, standing before a forgiving Father, pouring out his heart begging for mercy. Here confession is the admission of imperfection and the beginning of absolution. In this context, we understand confession to mean that one realizes he or she is only human. We are not perfect! No matter how hard we try, we are going to find ourselves in those moments when we fail. At this point, the best thing for us to do is acknowledge our imperfections and beg for mercy.
Think about these two very different views. Christians have even been guilty of leaning on the more negative view. There are so many people in our churches today that are hurting, deeply hurting, but no one is going to know it because they are not going to tell. They will not “confess” because they are afraid of judgment and embarrassment. We do not usually know that anyone has a drinking problem until they have hurt themselves or someone else. We do not usually know that someone has financial problems until they file for bankruptcy. We do not usually know that someone has marriage problems until they file for divorce. How did we come to the point that people feel so guilty about their “issues” that they feel too ashamed and embarrassed to ask for help? I wish we could all just come right out and say that struggling with temptation is normal…struggling with finances is normal…struggling with marriage is normal…there is no shame in that!
I wonder if it is possible for us to restore the beautiful, positive connotation of “confession?” I like the way that Webster defines confession. Confession is ‘a disclosure of one’s sins in the sacrament of reconciliation.’ Confession is the beginning of reconciliation. We cannot be truly restored until we “spill the beans.” Disclosure is a scary word for some. I looked that up too! The first definition I found listed was, ‘to open up.’ Just open yourself up to God and watch the healing begin.
Take a look at these words from David in Psalm 32, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Do you hear that? When we keep silent about sin, struggle, in our lives it eats us away from the inside out. Our silence saps our energy. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people struggling with sin say, “I just can’t go on. I am just too tired.” Huh, I wonder why? When we bare our soul before the Lord (when we hide ‘nothing’), David says that is when we find forgiveness. I want you to notice though that David points out something really interesting here! We are not only forgiven of our sin, but we are also forgiven the guilt of our sin. Whew! Not only can I let go of that ugly thing in my past, but I do not have to carry around the worry that goes along with it.
May we all find the courage to practice “confession” and practice it regularly. We need to admit that we are human, fallible, and imperfect. We need to quit pretending, in our moments of absolute weakness, that we are strong enough to conquer sin and its guilt on our own. Find comfort and inspiration in David’s very real experience. Whatever it is that is eating you away from the inside, let it go. Give it over to the Lord! I said earlier that Christian confession is a broken sinner, standing before a forgiving Father, pouring out his heart and begging for mercy. The cool part is we beg for mercy, but the forgiving Father grants us GRACE! Experience true relief, true grace, and true forgiveness; “SPILL THE BEANS.” Blessings…
“He confessed!” When you hear words like that you begin to think that some ugly, guilty, despicable person has finally been caught and will soon get what they have coming to them (justice). When you put it that way, no wonder we think so negatively about confession. But that is what the world, and worldly values, tend to do to some very healthy and beautiful components of Christianity.
Confession was actually meant to be a good thing; one broken sinner, standing before a forgiving Father, pouring out his heart begging for mercy. Here confession is the admission of imperfection and the beginning of absolution. In this context, we understand confession to mean that one realizes he or she is only human. We are not perfect! No matter how hard we try, we are going to find ourselves in those moments when we fail. At this point, the best thing for us to do is acknowledge our imperfections and beg for mercy.
Think about these two very different views. Christians have even been guilty of leaning on the more negative view. There are so many people in our churches today that are hurting, deeply hurting, but no one is going to know it because they are not going to tell. They will not “confess” because they are afraid of judgment and embarrassment. We do not usually know that anyone has a drinking problem until they have hurt themselves or someone else. We do not usually know that someone has financial problems until they file for bankruptcy. We do not usually know that someone has marriage problems until they file for divorce. How did we come to the point that people feel so guilty about their “issues” that they feel too ashamed and embarrassed to ask for help? I wish we could all just come right out and say that struggling with temptation is normal…struggling with finances is normal…struggling with marriage is normal…there is no shame in that!
I wonder if it is possible for us to restore the beautiful, positive connotation of “confession?” I like the way that Webster defines confession. Confession is ‘a disclosure of one’s sins in the sacrament of reconciliation.’ Confession is the beginning of reconciliation. We cannot be truly restored until we “spill the beans.” Disclosure is a scary word for some. I looked that up too! The first definition I found listed was, ‘to open up.’ Just open yourself up to God and watch the healing begin.
Take a look at these words from David in Psalm 32, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Do you hear that? When we keep silent about sin, struggle, in our lives it eats us away from the inside out. Our silence saps our energy. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people struggling with sin say, “I just can’t go on. I am just too tired.” Huh, I wonder why? When we bare our soul before the Lord (when we hide ‘nothing’), David says that is when we find forgiveness. I want you to notice though that David points out something really interesting here! We are not only forgiven of our sin, but we are also forgiven the guilt of our sin. Whew! Not only can I let go of that ugly thing in my past, but I do not have to carry around the worry that goes along with it.
May we all find the courage to practice “confession” and practice it regularly. We need to admit that we are human, fallible, and imperfect. We need to quit pretending, in our moments of absolute weakness, that we are strong enough to conquer sin and its guilt on our own. Find comfort and inspiration in David’s very real experience. Whatever it is that is eating you away from the inside, let it go. Give it over to the Lord! I said earlier that Christian confession is a broken sinner, standing before a forgiving Father, pouring out his heart and begging for mercy. The cool part is we beg for mercy, but the forgiving Father grants us GRACE! Experience true relief, true grace, and true forgiveness; “SPILL THE BEANS.” Blessings…
2 comments:
If confession is sharing our lives and we fail to do it, then we are robbing the body of its growth potential. I should rejoice with you in your victories, not be jealous of them. I should be there for you in your losses, not feel better about me that I do not have “that problem.”
We are such a ranking society. Instead of supporting each other we feel a need to quantify where this ranks us. If you have a problem with your wife that I do not, then I am better than you. If you have a higher paying job than me, then you are better than me. Instead of being there for you in loss or gain, I am diligently deciding what this means to me.
We have to realize that we are all sinners. We have to realize that God is not only fully aware of our sin problem; HE also solved it for us. So that being the case, let’s share life. It will be as happy and sad as life is.
Good thoughts Joe! Thanks for commenting.
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