I CONFESS

     

God is the Spring of new beginnings.

Forgiveness melts the frozen past. 

"They’ll get to know me by being kindly forgiven,

with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean."

          Several years ago I went through a devastating life episode. Some of my actions had hurt other people and I needed to take responsibility for those actions. It was the lowest point of my life.

          I felt like a dirt bag. I felt guilty. I was heartsick. I felt like a failure. For three days I fell into a deep depression. Wallowing in guilt and self pity is like a seed moaning about the Winter past when Spring was in full swing; it's useless and counterproductive. On the third day, my life changed forever.

          At about 5 am, I awoke up. I was still feeling like I'd poured some poison soup into my soul. Still in bed, I was lying on my back looking at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and I began to see in my mind. A mental picture had formed in my head. It was like I was looking at words carved on a rock. The rock was actually my forehead. Imagine for a moment. that your eyes had moved to the inside of your head and were looking at the inside of your forehead, that's what I saw. It was like a giant movie screen.

          Etched into my forehead was the word "Hebrews" along with the number "8:13." I am fairly familiar with the Bible but I had no idea what this passage meant. Grabbing my Bible, I looked it up.

Hebrews 8:13 (New King James Version)
In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

It's a good idea to read the surrounding passages to give you a greater perspective. Here's verse 12:

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,
 and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

For an even greater perspective here is Hebrews 8:6-13 from The Message Bible:

"But Jesus’ priestly work far surpasses what these other priests do, since he’s working from a far better plan. If the first plan—the old covenant—had worked out, a second wouldn’t have been needed. But we know the first was found wanting, because God said,
Heads up! The days are coming
when I’ll set up a new plan
for dealing with Israel and Judah.
I’ll throw out the old plan
I set up with their ancestors
when I led them by the hand out of Egypt.
They didn’t keep their part of the bargain,
so I looked away and let it go.
This new plan I’m making with Israel
isn’t going to be written on paper,
isn’t going to be chiseled in stone;
This time I’m writing out the plan in them,
carving it on the lining of their hearts.
I’ll be their God,
they’ll be my people.
They won’t go to school to learn about me,
or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons.
They’ll all get to know me firsthand,
the little and the big, the small and the great.
They’ll get to know me by being kindly forgiven,
with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean. 
By coming up with a new plan, a new covenant between God and his people, God put the old plan on the shelf. And there it stays, gathering dust."

          I have to admit I balled my eyes out, I was wasted. The God of the universe had spoken to me personally and let me know I was forgiven. I got to know God on a deeper level through his forgiveness. I was starting over, taking responsibility, being forgiven, being loved - but best of all: God was teaching me to go and do likewise.

Pay forgiveness forward.Pay kindness forward.Pay love forward.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
#JLYASDW