The power of acknowledging and seeking forgiveness

There is a phrase a minister friend of mine keeps reminding me of. He even wrote it in a book he gave me so that I wouldn’t forget it.  Most often, when we get into these conversations where I’m seeking clarity out of my confusion, he tells me to remember that, “A setback is more often than not, a setup for a comeback.” He says God will give you a setback to set you up for a spiritual comeback.  That sounds simple enough, but when you stop and think about it in those terms, it is a pretty awesome concept to comprehend. It means that even in the most dire circumstances, God is ever present for those of us who would profess a faith based upon the life, death, and eternal life of Jesus Christ.  That gives a sinner, which we all are, a fundamental key to everlasting salvation, if only we use it.

Let me explain as best I can. When we are surprised, tricked, or enticed back into our own ‘ways of this physical world’ and fail miserably in our own eyes, as we try to be good followers of Christ, the result can make us shy away from what Christ promised. We all remember getting caught doing something we had no business doing as a child. We knew what would happen once Mamma, Daddy, Grandma, or Big Mama learned about it. If the truth be told, we also knew how much it would hurt them because, deep down inside, we knew that whatever we were doing was wrong. Mama and Daddy and Big Mama and others had made an imprint on our character that made a difference in us as human beings, even at a very young age. Punishment aside, the “I’m sorry” due to them was equally understood and intended for ourselves.

We knew better. And it hurt to admit that to our loved ones and ourselves. For the Christian who makes the sincere effort and still falls short, the reality of what I just described can become overwhelming and therefore seem impossible to accomplish. You’ve still got to admit to yourself and to God that what you did was wrong. Say “I’m sorry,” and believe, as you did with Big Mama, that she loved you enough to forgive you, because she knew that you knew what you did was wrong and taught you better. God, too, knows He has made a difference in your character. We are taught through Christ that His imprint on our souls is indelible, and His forgiveness is eternal. But we’ve got to acknowledge and then ask for it.

The bible says, “They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and, in their rebellion, appointed a leader to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to answer and abounding in love. Therefore, you did not desert them… even when they committed awful blasphemies.” Nehemiah 9:17. God never deserts us, just as your mother never gave up on you. When we understand this, we realize that there’s only one place to take our sins, even the ones we committed yesterday or this morning, even the ones we want to hide from. It is right and He expects us to because, without saying it, He also knows that we know better. Coming to Him validates who He is, and who we are in relation to Him.

May God bless and keep you always.

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