Do you ever have a hard time accepting forgiveness? My guess is you have because who hasn’t. It can often be difficult to let go of those things that weigh us down. Once at a church event I along with the rest of the congregation was given a small rock. We were instructed to each carry this rock with us through a number of different prayer stations. Each station provided some scripture and an activity to communicate God’s grace and to help us discern God’s call on our lives. The last station was a prayer labyrinth. At the center of the labyrinth we were instructed to drop the rock we had been carrying. The scripture provided and the call of that last station was to let go of anything that had been weighing us down. It was both a powerful and helpful experience and I walked away from it actually feeling lighter in my spirit. Psalm 32:1-5 says…
The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered over, is truly happy! The one the Lord doesn’t consider guilty—in whose spirit there is no dishonesty— that one is truly happy. When I kept quiet, my bones wore out; I was groaning all day long—every day, every night!—because your hand was heavy upon me. My energy was sapped as if in a summer drought. So I admitted my sin to you; I didn’t conceal my guilt. “I’ll confess my sins to the Lord,” is what I said. Then you removed the guilt of my sin.
It’s a wonderful feeling to let go of those heavy burdens we bear. And yet we can have a hard time actually receiving forgiveness, receiving the free gift of grace. Paul Tillic once said that “faith and grace is all about accepting God’s acceptance of you.” Each and every one of us are precious to God. All of us are God’s children and God desires for all of us to live lives of wholeness, abundance, purpose, and joy. One of the key ways we do this is by receiving what God freely gives— forgiveness.
There is an element of discipline in accepting a free gift. Many of us are “doers” and we like to earn what we get. While there is truth in the old adage that “we reap what we sow,” God operates in ways that are different from the world’s standards. God loves us so much God became a human being and then died so that we are atoned, forgiven for the ways in which we miss the mark in life. God has done everything necessary to forgive us and he offers this grace that came at a great price. All we have to do is accept that grace and forgiveness.
Repentance begins with an acknowledgement and awareness of the fact that we have stepped off the path. Repentance is an acknowledgement and it is feeling the weight of sin and desiring to no longer bear that burden. Once we repent we must confess to God and ask for God’s mercy. Our passage today tells us “So I admitted my sin to you; I didn’t conceal my guilt. “I’ll confess my sins to the Lord, ” is what I said. Then you removed the guilt of my sin.” Whenever we do this, whenever we confess our sins to God it is like we are dropping the rock we have been carrying. When we accept God’s forgiveness and we take God at his word, suddenly we feel the burden lifted. When the weight is lifted, we learn the joy of what it is to know God’s grace. Sometimes it is hard for us to believe that God is so good, but that’s why this gospel is called good news, that’s why the gospel is the greatest thing that has ever happened to humanity. That’s why the Psalmist says “happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” God offers his love for all of us and it doesn’t matter what we have done because God’s forgiveness is already present in our lives. All we have to do is drop the rock and accept that God loves us.