The whole situation revolved around my 6 year old little boy and the fact that he wouldn't let another kid his age sit with him on the bus. I took him into the other room so we could be alone and so we could talk about what had happened. I could tell that he was upset by what was going on. I sat him down and began asking questions, trying to get his side of the story and what really happened. He just sat there for the longest time visibly shaken and with tears about to fall from his eyes. I continued to ask him questions as to why he was so upset. "Are you upset because your sister told on you?" Followed by a shake of the head, no. "Why are you upset?" Silence. "Are you upset because you think you are in trouble?" Again, head shake, no. This continued for quite a few minutes. Finally, I asked him if he was sad because he wasn't kind to his friend on the bus. The tears began to flow and he shook his head, yes. This child is our sensitive, tender-hearted child, and it breaks his heart when he is wronged against and also when he hurts or wrongs someone else.
His sin broke his heart and physically shook him. I'm sure the guilt had been eating through him as I questioned him a hundred times. My heart was breaking for my little tender-hearted boy. We continued discussing what he did and how he was unkind and then I talked to him about how everyone sins and is unkind sometimes. I explained to him that Jesus died for all the bad things we do and that if we confess our sins to him, he forgives us and makes us clean again. He makes us whiter than snow. We took some time praying together and I led him in asking forgiveness for his sin. When we finished, I could sense that his burden was lifted, that he was freed from the bondage of his sin. He was smiling and laughing. He was free.
As I reflect on that situation with my son, I was struck with conviction in my own life. How often do I let my sin bog me down? How often do I live in the guilt or condemnation of my own sin? Or, how often do I pretend that I am good enough and I don't have sin in my life? If I just ignore it, it will go away, right? Wrong!
I am involved in a women's Bible study in our church right now and we are going through the book of 1 John. I believe it is really hard to read the book of 1 John and not be convicted by our sin. I really don't think it was an accident that this situation came up. It very possibly could have been that God wanted to use this situation more for me than for him.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10The truth is we all sin (Romans 3:23). We all fail, make mistakes and fall so short of God's glory. The good news is that God loves us so much that he sent his son to pay the price, a price we rightly deserve, for our sins. The good news is that, "if we confess our sins he is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This is something we could never do on our own. We can never be good enough or try hard enough to rid ourselves of our sins, but Jesus is and Jesus DID!
The question is am I quick see conviction of my sin in my life and am I quick to confess and repent of it?
If we walk around trying to ignore our sin or living in guilt and condemnation of our sin, we are not walking in the freedom God designed us to live in. This is why Jesus died and rose again. He died for us because he loved us and has a better plan for our lives. His plan is FREEDOM!
