out of sight

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:1-5

My child,

I have created you for an unhindered, joyful connection with me. But sometimes your sin slithers its way in between us. It disrupts our relationship because I am holy.

Even so, I don’t evict you for bad behavior. When you accepted my invitation to become a part of my forever family through your trust in Christ, I permanently adopted you.

No trial period. No take backs. No returns. You will always be my child. Your sin does not rob you of an eternity with me. But it can impede our connection now. 

When you rebel or oppose what is right and good, you are telling me that being close to me is not your highest priority. You don’t want to accept my way of being. Going your own way becomes more important to you than enjoying the priceless friendship I forged for us. 

Sometimes, you squander true freedom because you don’t want to live under my authority. Being at peace with me slips away as you relegate my priorities to a basement in your heart where you store things you don’t want to clutter up your life.

But when you come to me in honesty and embrace the truth about your sin, I forgive you and we can enjoy our relationship again. I just want you to agree with me that the path you were going down was not my best for you.

There are those in your family you tolerate and those with whom you really yearn to spend time. I don't want to be a distant relative you tolerate. I want to be your favorite. The one you adore. Don’t let your unconfessed sin keep you from the joy of my company.

I love you,

Abba

My Abba,

Thank you for forgiving my rebellion and putting my sin out of sight. Thank you for clearing my guilt as I confess my sin. I am glad I feel miserable when I am distant from you.  

Please sensitize me to anything that attempts to come between us. I realize this week I exalted some of the peripheral things in my life.

When the non-essentials absorb my attention, I am diverted from you and your beauty. If I don’t savor the stunning reality of my freedom in you, I am held captive by the illusion of freedom offered by lesser things. How can I expect to enjoy you when I am purposely chasing something else?

I want to be near you, at peace with you, my Maker. I want to live in increasing honesty. Show me my obvious and, not so obvious, sin - anything that gets in the way of your aspirations for our relationship.

Then please, give me the strength to agree with you that my offenses are the dead, empty, useless rubbish that they are. I don’t want anything to squeeze the life out of my desire for you and your plans and purposes.

I place all my desires in your open hands. Please purify and empower only those desires, which exalt you.  Don’t let anything compromise your glorious version of the story of us.

I love you,

Mollie

photo : rdodar

NLT