“Confession is good for the soul,” or so the old saying goes. When we are struggling with an area of insanity in our lives, there is great freedom and power in being able to tell another human being, “This is where I am. This is my addiction, my problem, my sin.” When a person comes into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, he introduces himself by saying his name and calling himself an alcoholic. I, for example, would not say, “I’m Edwin, and I may drink a little too much from time to time.” That would not cut it. “I’m Edwin, and I’m not sure I need to be here,” wouldn’t do either. For healing to begin, I would need to say the words, “I’m Edwin, and I’m an alcoholic.” At some point in the recovery process in AA, each addict selects a sponsor—someone to whom he or she will be accountable and honest about their addictive behavior.
Jessica McClure was an eighteen-month-old girl who fell down an abandoned well pipe a few years back. It took nearly 400 rescuers in her hometown of Midland, Texas, some fifteen hours to pull her from the well, with only a few bumps and bruises. Early in the rescue process, a key decision was made about how to save baby Jessica. First, they sent someone down to be with her while the rescue took place, so she would not be frightened by all the noise and machinery and manpower it would take to save her. Panic, disorientation, anxiety—all could have been life-threatening for her, so they sent someone down to get next to her and comfort her.
This is what happens when we confess our sins to one another. It’s like having someone else down in the pit with us, providing a face and a form to comfort and listen as we go through the process of recovery. We have the mistaken idea that if we let someone else know we are struggling, somehow our credibility as a Christian will be ruined, and that no one will trust us again, or believe in us. But confession to a Christian brother or sister who will pray and encourage is not a damaging process, but a healing one.
MEMORY VERSE
...confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed (James 5:16).
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE
Luke 2-3; Revelation 1
