HOUSE CLEANING

Can you think of something you would rather avoid for the rest of your life then have to deal with because it makes you uncomfortable? I hate unclogging bathroom sinks. When not even drainage solutions work and you have to pull out the stopper and there is all the hair and gunk… gross. I get shivers just writing this! The bathroom is my least favorite place to clean, but unclogging a bathroom sink is THE worst! I would rather wash one hand and then let the water recede and then wash my other hand or go to the kitchen sink before having to unclog a bathroom sink. It is actually quite embarrassing how long I will let a sink remain clogged before I clean it.

Now think of sin in your life. Have you ever been so uncomfortable and embarrassed by a sin that you couldn’t bear to admit it existed? Some sin you just kept half living with just like I was half washing my hands with a clogged sink? What about “small” sins that no one knows about, the ones in your mind? Do you ever let the sin just grow and grow on the inside and keep ignoring it like I ignored the gunk and hair on the stopper? Maybe you’ve tried some lifestyle changes or quick fixes like I tried with the drainage solution. Maybe you just keep escaping the Holy Spirit convicting you like I would escape the clogged drain and use the kitchen sink. Maybe you are about to swipe away from this post because just like you’ve never had to clean a clogged drain, you’ve never really spent a ton of time confessing your sins before God and don’t understand the importance. Well, confession is important because it is the first step to alleviate the uncomfortableness of sin and unclog our spiritual lives from the gunk.

Sin is what separates us from God (Rom. 3:23). As Christians, we are supposed to know this better than anyone. We are also called to be holy (1 Pt. 1:16) and that’s one of the reasons sin is so embarrassing. We know better and we’ve been called to live better. It’s so hard to admit when you messed up or when you’re wrong. But we also should know God’s mercy and forgiveness better than anyone (Mt. 18:21-35). God is forgiving (Ps. 32:5). God is merciful (Eph. 2:4-5) We might still have negative consequences from our actions, but “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9).

So how do we make confession of sins part of our lives? Seek solitude on a regular basis. Schedule time alone with God right onto your calendar. Maybe keep a journal of your sins so you can see how God is working in those areas. Try putting your phone on airplane mode to keep you from avoiding dealing with your sin. In this day and age of instant information and endless entertainment, it is so hard to pull away from the world for a moment to examine our lives in light of Scripture with the intention of confessing sin, but it is so necessary. Church, ministry, family, friends, work, education, studying the Bible, praying for others… these are all good things. But if you keep avoiding alone time with God specifically to reflect on your life and confess your sins, it will be like avoiding a clogged sink. You might be able to half function right now, but in the end it will build and build and eventually overflow, spilling into your life and tainting everything with the grimy water of your sin.

RESOURCE: Valley of Vision: Mortification

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