Forgiveness


The biggest challenge most of us face in our lives is swallowing our pride
and admitting that we were wrong. Gulp! It's tough duty to summon the
courage to admit to others -- and to God -- that we fall short of our best
intentions, that we sometimes make a mess of things.

Confession: More important than self-esteem
It is human nature to miss the mark of perfection. It also is human nature
to convince ourselves that we really don't have to confess our shortcomings
to anyone else. After all, our delicate psyches and our self-esteem might
be wounded if we focused on such negative matters.
Yet, out of the bad news of sin and separation from God and neighbors
emerges the good news of forgiveness and reconciliation. God's promise, as
recorded in Isaiah 1:18 and 1 John 1:7-9, offers to those who truly seek
forgiveness a cleansing of the soul, a purging of your personal rap sheet.

Forgiveness: Never in short supply
Because people are proud and stubborn, you can go to any library in the
English speaking world and check out a book by Dr. Karl Menninger entitled,
"Whatever Became of Sin?"
And while you're browsing, because God is just and full of loving kindness,
you can check out the Bible and discover whatever became of forgiveness, too.

I think you'll find that both sin and forgiveness may fall out of fashion,
but they are never in short supply.