“Confession is good for the soul.”
If I’ve heard that once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. I suspect you have as well. It is true, you know? I can’t count how many times I have withheld confession of sin and hurt from God and others thinking it will be okay not to say anything, only to find out it is worse. One word enters the picture at this point: M.I.S.E.R.Y. The longer I failed to confess my sin to God, and the longer I denied I hurt someone (and didn’t ask forgiveness), the more miserable I got. Hiding or denying my sin from God was never a good option. He already knew anyway. And the longer I avoided telling someone I was sorry, the greater the distance grew between us.
But plain and simple: confession is good for the soul. The who is blessed is not the one who doesn’t sin (as if), but the one who confesses that sin. To God. To others.
Psalm 120:1-2 are two interesting verses. The NLT translates it: “I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people.” But the CSB gives it a slightly different angle: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. ‘Lord, rescue me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.’ “ While the NLT seems to give it form the perspective of “protect me from others,” the CSB can almost be taken from the perspective of “protect me from myself.” Maybe both are right? We need protected from others AND we need protected from ourselves.
Let’s just put it this way: whether speaking of God, of others, or ourselves, confession is good for the soul. No hiding. No fudging. No him-hawing. Life is found at the end of confession.
This is so true, Bill! I have seen confession bring healing and deliverance! Dick and I are in a small group fellowship that is mainly young adults (not sure how we landed there LOL) and they are very honest with each other, admitting faults and weaknesses, and praying for each other. It has led to spiritual growth for many of us in this group.
It sounds like you and Dick have led these young people to a sense of real community and realizing what the church should be all about.
Life truly is found at the end of confession, Bill, you are absolutely spot on here. May we be quick to recognize our shortcomings and ask for forgiveness as we forgive those who have hurt us.
Blessings!
Thanks for the affirmation Martha. And I say a hearty AMEN to your suggestion that we be quick to recognize our shortcomings.
I have to confess to the Lord on a frequent basis that “Yes Lord, I’m the chief of sinners.” What surprises me lately is how easy it is to confess that.
It’s unbelievable that at my age, I’ll be 60 in October, I keep on repeating it. But I can’t deny it’s true.
Ed, keep that heart of confession and knowing sin is still sin.
Amen Bill. When I think of confession I remember growing up and sitting in the confessional at church, and the Catholic church had venial sins, and mortal sins. The priest would give you a list of prayers, or tell you to say the rosary depending on how sinful your sin was. Until I left the catholic church, I did not learn sin is sin. I am so grateful now that I understand what true confession is, and what sins does to our souls and to God himself, and how devastating sin is. I am grateful for God’s unending love, grace and mercy. As Paul says we have been freed from a sinful life, we are no longer slaves to sin. So now let us live a life for God, and do not use grace as an excuse to sin. Life is truly found at the end of a confession.
I thought of that as i wrote this Gail. While not Catholic in any way, shape or form, I heard it from my friends. It seemed to me to be treated too lightly. But it an also be treated too lightly by those who don’t practice that. I never want that to be true of me. Grace is not an excuse for sin.