Saturday, April 13, 2013

The Small Stuff

 

Psalm 32:1-7  A psalm of David.  (NRSV)

The Joy of Forgiveness

1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up[a] as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,[b] the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
- Psalm 51:10 (NRSV)
 
My aunt had to move because of declining health. We put her house up for sale. The realtor who came by saw what I had not seen: small carpet stains, a leaking faucet, mold around a bathtub, a loose handle on a cabinet, and chipped paint on facings. “Those things seem small,” she said, “but they make a huge difference in whether the house sells or doesn’t. Please get them fixed before we put the sign out front.

”As I dealt with getting repairs done, God led me to begin thinking about the “small things” in my life — the bit of gossip I repeat, the minor resentments I hold on to, the way I sometimes shade the truth to my benefit, my pride and self-justification, judging the actions and worth of others. I wondered if these are actually sins. Honestly, I knew that the answer is yes. I had committed sins and dismissed them as mere human failings. But they were sins and were obscuring the grace of God in my life.


In forgiveness and love, God helped me to be more honest and to confess my sins. God’s love and grace guided me through the period of helping my aunt and enabled me to begin a process of spiritual growth that led me to deeper faith and greater joy in my relationships.
God’s grace extends to our deepest unconfessed sins.

Prayer
Loving Father, we ask you to forgive us as we examine our conscience and confess to you the sins present in our lives. Thank you for your saving grace. Amen.
 
Prayer focusThose burdened by unconfessed sin
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