Confession Time
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Romans 12:3
Have you ever done a Whole30 or some other type of sugar detox? I’ve done a few Whole30s over the years, and one thing always surprises me: the natural sweetness of some foods when I remove the blinding cravings brought on by consuming too much processed sugar. Have you noticed that too? When I deprive myself of added sugar in all its forms and sit with the discomfort of a few days of wooziness, hangry cravings, and general malaise, I come out on the other side with a newfound appreciation for the natural sweetness of something mundane like a regular old sweet potato. It’s astonishing!
A few years ago, my heart was pricked by something that was seemingly totally unrelated: confession. What does confession have to do with sweet potatoes? Well, nothing really. But there are some ways we can approach confession that are very similar to what happens in our bodies when we abstain from sugar. We suddenly become aware of things of which we were previously not cognizant.
One day, I decided to run a little thought experiment. I decided to make a habit of confession: a practice, a real discipline. I sat down and started praying. I waited a few minutes. Nothing happened. I got up from that mini confession session feeling like I didn’t really have anything to confess. I guess I’m not that bad after all, I thought! Days two and three were similarly unproductive. Part of me wanted to believe that maybe I’d just had a good run of a few days where I wasn’t particularly sinful! But there was also a disconcerting feeling brewing in the pit of my stomach, one that needed deeper reflection and more time. My discomfort grew with each passing day. That part of me wanted to avoid the pang of that feeling and kind of scrap the whole idea of this thought experiment. Maybe it was best to leave well enough alone? Or was it?
As the days dragged on and I continued to (sometimes faithfully, sometimes begrudgingly) sit with myself, peering into the deep chasm of my heart to search out what needed to be coughed up, it became easier and easier to notice my own sinfulness. Big things, small things. Actions, attitudes, and wrong thinking. My spiritual taste buds were changing.
Things that had previously been shoved and tamped deep down inside, largely ignored in the busyness of my life, were suddenly bubbling to the surface with a bitter belch. How had I not noticed these things before? Was I really that unaware of the depth of my sinfulness that I could continue to plod through life thinking more highly of myself than I ought? Well, as a matter of fact… YES.
And that’s not the kind of Jesus-following Christian I want to be. I don’t want to go through life with numbed-out spiritual tastebuds, sinking back into comfortable habits, or not challenging my innermost sins. I want to be changed, transformed, and radically different. I don’t want to cling to old, sinful habits, especially not because I’m too afraid to sit with my own discomfort.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
You and I will have different areas where we struggle or wrestle. God knows this fact. But through God’s grace, we can all be realistic and “sober-minded” about those struggles. You don’t have to be ashamed of them or embarrassed by them. You can simply assess and then bring them to the Lord honestly and bluntly. But our taste buds need to be trained to recognize sin for what it is, in all forms.
PRAYER
Father, walk beside us as we sit uncomfortably with our own sin. Remind us that You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins when we bring them before You.
Christa has been married to Greg for 25 years, and they have one son, Palmer, who is a junior in college. She loves women’s ministry, teaching art to homeschooled children, and whipping up fantastic recipes in her kitchen. If she could pack up her church family and move to coastal South Carolina… she’d do it in a heartbeat.
Are there other women in your life who could benefit from a daily dose of encouragement? Forward this email so they can click on this link to Subscribe to Daily Treasure to be better equipped to walk by faith on the pathway God has marked out for them.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
