Confession

Can I share a secret? I’m not a big fan of confession. Oh, I know we need it. I need it. But confessing my sins is not only painful (because it brings up old wounds); it’s also difficult. It requires ruthless self-assessment. To confess my shortcomings and missed chances is to risk feeling like a failure. Why would anyone willingly do that?

Still, there’s confession and there’s confession. Confessing my sins to God—honestly and without artifice—is easier than confessing to someone I know. Perhaps it’s that I trust God to be more forgiving. Indeed, “God is merciful and gracious and abounding in steadfast love.” But confessing to someone else is harder. With my neighbor, there’s give and take, conversation, vulnerability to the unknown and unsuspected. I risk being wounded when I discover I’ve wounded others. I'm obligated then to do something to make things right.

After last night’s Ash Wednesday service, someone joked, “Maybe we need to use the joys and concerns time in worship to confess our sins… and be specific!” Take heart: we won’t be doing that, at least not out loud. But the fact is, we all need to be able to say to God and to our neighbor, “Here’s how I messed up,” to follow it up with, “How can I make things right?” and then to follow through. Reconciliation requires confession. In the end, that keeps me open to it, uncomfortable as it is. Without being able to confess my sins, I can’t make peace with my neighbor. With it, our relationships can grow strong.

My prayer for you along the way is that you will find renewal this season in self-examination and confession that leads to reconciliation with others and reconciliation with God.