Skip to main content

Confession

One of the most challenging disciplines in all of Christendom is, when practiced, perhaps also the discipline that offers the deepest change: confession. Unfortunately, there is a tragedy about this aspect of our faith; that although it is a practice so freely open to us, there’s something about it that leads us to destroy, not build, intimacy with God.

Admitting you’re wrong is probably the hardest thing in the world to do, but it’s something that furnishes real change in our lives, if it’s sincere. Just as importantly, confession is an invitation of truth to inform your life. Over and over in the Bible you see the knowledge and life of God in our lives compared to light and darkness. John says that “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19); Jesus calls himself the “light of the world” and promises that those who follow him will “never walk in darkness” (John 8:12); Paul laments to the Corinthians that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4); Peter refers to knowledge of God as a “morning star” that rises in our hearts, and in the same book declares that God “called us out of darkness and into his wonderful light.” You see references to light in Proverbs, the gospels, Acts, Romans, both Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and numerous other books in the Bible. So we find in the Bible this theme of light penetrating our lives to give us a knowledge that we didn’t have before. The problem is, though, that it’s much easier to hide in the darkness of fear and denial than it is to face yourself squarely and admit you’re wrong.

Sometimes, though, you're only willing to admit you're wrong when you're the most in need. I remember reaching a point in my life when I felt so incapable of helping myself and so out of control that my only recourse was to seek help from others, be it from God or other people. It was only after finally approaching myself with a willingness to change and pliability that I began to experience the process of healing. It happened twice: once when I was seventeen, and the other at nineteen. This truly is the power of confession: not simply an admission of need, but a giving up of sorts (paraphrasing C.S. Lewis), an opening of the gates so that you might be led back into the place you know you need to be. Thanks for reading.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pleasure

*Note: In the following post, I am heavily influenced by a pastor named Bob Shirock. Specifically, Shirock writes about Solomon's response to the pleasures he experienced in life in Ecclesiastes, and observes that we can enjoy pleasures in life if we accept them as God's gifts, and if we express our gratitude in their enjoyment. He cites Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 and 1 Timothy 4:1-5. I’ve noticed something about pleasure: the highs can be followed by lows. This sounds obvious, but what I mean is that times of joy and fun in life's pleasures are wonderful, and can lift your spirits for a time, but they can be followed by a disappointment that comes from the realization that they are short-lived and will not satisfy us in the long-term. I’m calling this a pleasure hangover. We gain happiness for a time, but see that this happiness is temporary. We therefore feel a subsequent low that leaves us still longing. It reminds me of a theme in the life of C.S. Lewis: sehnsucht , or a wist...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ghosts

Exercising at a gym seems to be pretty important in our culture, but it's kind of weird to see the social dynamics when you're there. Usually, if you're running an errand, you see others doing the same thing, going about their days and focusing on what's in front of them. The same thing happens at the gym, only everyone is relatively stationary. They don't really go anywhere, except from one machine or area to another. One might think this lends itself to lots of interaction between members, especially since they're all there for the same purpose, but it isn't true. Not only do people generally avoid talking to one another, but they also avoid even looking at one another. It is as though there is no one else there, even though there are dozens on any given day. Most people follow this unwritten rule, unless something in the environment-- say, two people wanting to use the same set of weights-- gives them common ground to interact, or unless they've alr...
2 comments
Read more

End of an Era

It was over two years ago that I joined an experiment that would last until last July, an experiment that would significantly change me and the eleven others involved. That experiment was the creation of a new church comprised of twelve members whose purpose was to serve the people of downtown Stockton. Most attractive to me about it was that half of our income would be used in some way outside the church, to benefit the local community or to aid in international assistance. In that span of time, we did in fact serve in ways we'd envisioned. One of our first events was a pizza and school supplies giveaway (coupled with games for the kids who came) toward the end of our first summer. Many of those who came seemed genuinely happy at this. Through that year, we also hosted an event called a "card me house party," wherein each person's ticket to the event was a gift card. Once inside, chips could be purchased to play card and other games, with the resulting collection g...
1 comment
Read more