Trust

There are things that I have done in my life of which I am not very proud; things that I have done in my life that I wish I hadn’t done; things that I wish I hadn’t said out loud; things that I wish I hadn’t thought. I used to lie awake at night thinking about the things of which I was unable to let go.

I know that most Sundays at church we do the Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness, and I would recite the words, the pastor would absolve me of my sins through Jesus Christ, but I still couldn’t let go. I was unable to let go until one summer afternoon at a synodical youth gathering.

On this summer afternoon we were asked to write down our sins on scraps of paper. So I wrote down my secrets, my shame, my sins and folded them up. During worship, we took those scraps of paper, those deep dark sins, and we nailed them to the cross. With each swing of the hammer I felt lighter and better. I had put my trust in God. I had given God my sins, and I knew in my heart I was forgiven.

God of love, help us to put our trust in you, so that we can be free of our sins and shame. Amen. — GB