Day 14: Thursday, February 21

You know how when you give a kid a timeout, he doesn’t move from that special spot in the kitchen corner until he answers the question, “Do you know why you are in timeout?”

The punished child knows he has done something to be separated from the family, but may not know exactly why. We offer him a chance to identify his mistake and take ownership of it. Or, a gentle reminder of the rules might provide a teaching opportunity. Sometimes for the parent, the most painful part of meting out punishment is getting the child to admit to his wrongdoing.

So, too, might it be with our own confessions?

We know what our sin is--glaringly so, sometimes. But I wonder if God knows we need to confess it, to speak it aloud, in order to be released from it. The weighty shame brings us to our humble, human knees so that we can confess. And the moment of forgiveness then washes over us in a blast of relief and we feel His abiding love once again, just like a child.

What I hear in this passage that is relevant to my life today is remembering the lyrics from a favorite praise song:

“Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.
And He will lift you up, higher and higher
And He will lift you up, up into heaven.”

Ruth Grubbs