Everybody knows what a guilty dog looks like. When you walk in the door, you see the dog hiding in the corner with its tail between its legs. As you walk around the corner, you see that it chewed on the rug, got into the trash, jumped up on the counter, and ate your sandwich.
Everybody knows how a guilty dog feels. When you’ve made fun of someone, hit somebody, screamed at your dad, or talked about your friend behind her back, sometimes you just want to hide in a corner. But hoping that you can hide and pretend it never happened doesn’t actually help.
King David, the king of God’s chosen people, had made some pretty big mistakes. When he tried to hide, he felt worse, so he tried something different. “When I kept silent about my sins, my bones began to weaken because of my groaning all day long. I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to confess them to you, O Lord. Then you forgave all my sins” (Psalm 32:3,5).
You, God’s chosen child, have made some pretty big mistakes too. Hiding and worrying about your sins actually makes you feel worse. Admit your sins to God, admit that you cheated on the test or stole a kid’s lunch. Tell him you are sorry, and hear him say, “I forgive you.”
No more hiding.
Chomp on this!
When do you keep silent about your sins?
How do you feel when you pretend you aren’t sinful?
What makes it hard to confess your sins?
