Thoughts on Confession

Confession, as the response to our sin, is more akin to lament and sorrow than disappointment and discouragement. It is a longing for the promised and, yet, unrealized union with God. Confession is not synonymous with berating, demeaning and self-deprecating comments. Confession is a longing, a sadness, a deep desire for life with God. Confession is the alternative to "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps" and gritting our teeth trying to work harder to please God. Confession is a realization of our inability to please God in our own strength. It is the awareness of the distance from God and who God wants us to be. Confession says, "I'm not surprised by my sin, and my awareness of my sin serves, all the more, to confirm my need for a Savior." Confession is the expression of our utter incapability to be who God wants us to be unless God does that work in us and for us.