Devotions for the Rest of Us #6

Confession: a formal admission of one's sins with repentance and desire of absolution

In our weekly confession at church we confess to several things: Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truely sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Lately I've been able to focus on the better part: that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Maybe better part isn't the right term, but I'm not drowning in my sin currently. Here's the thing, are we really giving up so much in not murdering, not stealing, not committing adultery? What about not crawling home drunk hugging the toilet? Or having to remember what lie we told so that we can keep them straight? Do I need to go on? I can, but you probably can fill in the blanks.

Focusing on "that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways." Wow, what does that mean? I've often talked about being kind, how about not sharing everything I know about people. How about avoiding the gossip? How about speaking to those that are stretching me (and by the way, not doing so good with that one - I still think they are stealing my overtime - and thus struggling with being nice to them). But I'm finding myself seeking how to "delight in your will." I'm asking the Lord to show me ways to reach out to those around me and minister to them. One thing is by keeping their confidence. Another is to be non-judgmental when they do share. When some of the young mothers ask me questions about how did my sons turn out so well, I direct them to the Lord, not to any great wisdom I had. Focusing on Him, not me. This is where I want to walk, where I want my mind to dwell. So this is my confession: not what my past is, but what my now is.