Change the Storyline
By Carolyn Hulliberger
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put
out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”
Psalm 32:1-2 (NLT)
I have a Confession to make.
Do I have your attention? As any
writer of crime shows or soap operas knows, the Confession is powerful. The
storyline changes once the Confession happens.
Jesus knows it, too. During the
Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, Jesus instructs His followers how
to pray. Very specifically, His example of speaking to God includes a request
for forgiveness of our debts/sins.
This is a part of prayer that can be
hard. I don’t like to discuss my daily (hourly!) shortcomings. In prayer, so
often I want to accentuate the positive and ask for my requests. Here’s the problem…
When I neglect to confess my sin, I
diminish the power of God’s grace in my life.
Without seeing my sin and the
darkness of my human condition, I ignore the beauty that is the relationship
with my Savior. Without professing my issues to the God who adores me, I gloss
over the call to turn to Him in dependency and need. Without the daily realization
that I am a ragamuffin human completely undeserving of the love and attention
of the God of the universe, I begin to believe that I can do this Christian
life on my own.
A paraphrase of 1 John 1:8-9 puts it this way: “If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re
only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other
hand, if we admit our sins - - make a clean breast of them - - he won’t let us
down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all
wrongdoing.” (The Message)
Confession is pivotal. With Confession,
God is able to clean out the wounds we have from our own sins, and those others
created. When we confess our fears and failures and shortcomings, we become
vulnerable and teachable. When that happens, God can change our storyline.
Do you have a Confession to make?
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Spend time in thoughtful confession with God today.
FURTHER
READING:
Along with caring for her family, Carolyn works
as an insurance representative, serves in Oakwood Church as a Community Group
leader and a High School home group leader.
