Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18
“Hey, mom, look!” Dan, my six year old, shouted as he ran over to me. I had been pulling weeds in my flower garden that afternoon. As my eyes focused, I saw Dan had his left palm faced up with a sliver in it.
“Okay, I will take care of it in a minute,” I said. A minute went by as well as many days. Both Dan and I forgot about the splinter until he again pointed it out to me. This time the skin surrounding the sliver was swollen and infected. Quickly and carefully, I removed the sliver with tweezers and applied some antiseptic to the infected wound. The next time I checked Dan’s hand, it had healed completely. My sin is like the sliver. Not always an obvious gaping wound, it starts out as something tiny in my life such as a jealous or envious thought. I push it aside and forget about it as I had forgotten Dan’s splinter. However, unaddressed sin does not go away. It swells into other parts of my life infecting my whole being. Like tweezers and antiseptic to a sliver in the palm of a hand so is repentance to sin in the heart. Confession cleanses and heals me.
Thank you, gracious Lord, that through confession and repentance we can become cleaned and healed. Help me to remember to ask for forgiveness as soon as I recognize a sin in my life. Amen.