It's been a long time since I posted a blog! Over a year in fact. Do people even read blogs anymore? My husband has encouraged me to post my articles on my blog. I've been writing an inspirational article called "Heart & Soul" in our hometown newspaper each month for over three years now. I love the task each month. It scratches my writing itch just right! My latest article was on confession.
I've been practicing the ACTS prayer module in my quiet time. A - Adoration, C-Confession, T- Thanksgiving, S - Supplication. Each category is fairly easy for me....except the confession one. That is something God and I are working at together. Confessing sins daily is a new thing for me. An eye-opening thing, for sure. Forgiving others, especially those who haven't asked for it, it's not new for me. It's just difficult. Learning to recognize my own inadequacies every day and asking for forgiveness for them has helped me in learning to forgive those who have wronged me. Opening old wounds is becoming less. Turns out that confession, truly is...good for the soul. Here's my recent "Heart & Soul" article in the January '26 edition of Hometown Treasure.
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The glass was broken. The ball was in his hand. And yet, my
son had no idea how the windshield got broken while he waited in the car for my
return. I allowed guilt and shame to do their work in my son’s soul until he
finally confessed. This gave me the opportunity to extend grace to him and come
up with a plan to fix the windshield together.
You see, Junior was more concerned with the repercussions
than with remorse. What he didn’t understand was that, although I would be
upset that I now had a windshield to replace, the act wouldn't make me stop
loving him. He didn’t want to face the reality of his wrongdoing, so he chose
to play dumb in hopes I’d be dumb enough to believe him. But he soon learned
that the weight of guilt was heavier than spilling the painful truth!
I recently heard this quote from my Bible study leader.
If the practice of confession is superficial, then the experience of grace will
be superficial. Genuine confession = genuine grace. Junior confessed – I
forgave. Neither act was easy to do.
Junior learned that saying, “I’m sorry,” is difficult.
Confession, however, is a two-way street: it frees you from guilt and allows
the other person to extend grace through forgiveness. Likewise, when we confess
a sin to God, He forgives and forgets. Phew!
It’s not so easy to ask for forgiveness from a human,
though, is it? The anti-inflammatory concoction I drink each morning doesn’t
taste good, but the benefits to my joints are worth it. The same is to be said
of eating a slice of humble pie. It’s hard to swallow, but the benefits to my
soul are well worth the humility.
But what if you’re on the flip side of this transaction, the
one to whom someone is confessing? Well, you have an excellent opportunity to
forgive and reconcile. Harder yet, what if you’ve been offended and the
offender doesn’t apologize? Well, according to this Bible verse, we are
to forgive anyway.
Ephesians 4:31–32 (NIV)
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger...Be kind
and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God
forgave you".
Because of Christ’s death on the cross, I have been forgiven
and set free. The gratitude of this transaction should motivate me to extend
grace through forgiveness and receive grace through confession.
Unfortunately, my motivation wanes when I have been wounded
by someone. I’m more apt to fret, stew, and think ill thoughts. How about you?
When it comes to confession and forgiveness, relief comes only when I remember
the example Jesus set for me. On a cross. On the day he extended grace and
mercy to a sinner such as I. But mostly, from the grace he gives me now every
time I disappoint him.
It turns out that, contrary to popular belief…revenge is not
sweeter…grace is!
