Finding God in Tough Times by Kristi Holl

Author:Kristi Holl [Holl, Kristi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780310731818
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Published: 2013-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

Devotion #47

“O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.”

(Psalm 86:5 NLT)

Coming Clean

Lara was having a bad day. She’d overslept, and as she was leaving the house, she shoved her little brother out of her way. She felt frazzled, so on the way to school, she spent her lunch money on candy at the convenience store. She’d forgotten her science report was due today, and she wasn’t finished working on it. So she told her teacher she accidentally left it at home. That night, during family prayers, Lara had nothing to say.

Later, Dad asked her why she’d been so quiet.

Lara shrugged. “I don’t know. I just didn’t feel like talking to God.”

“Hmmm.” Dad was silent for a moment. Then he said, “Sometimes, I feel distant from God. Often, it is because I am trying to ignore some wrong things I’ve done. Instead of coming clean with God, I try to do other things with my mistake.”

Lara blinked in surprise. “You do? Like what?”

“I make excuses about why I did it, like saying I had to speed or I’d be late to work.”

Lara nodded with understanding. She hadn’t wanted to get a bad grade on her book report, so she’d lied.

Dad sat down beside Lara. “Sometimes I cover up the sin, like hiding a bill I forgot to pay on time.”

Lara could understand that, remembering how she’d hidden the candy wrappers.

Dad patted Lara’s hand. “Mostly I get busy with other things so I can forget about it.”

“Me too,” Lara said. She remembered shoving her brother, then catching up with her friend to talk about their favorite TV show.

“The Bible defines sin as ‘missing God’s mark,’” Dad said, “or missing God’s goal for you. When you carry around sins without confessing them to God, it’s like food you forget that’s in the back of the fridge. It might be sitting there for weeks, but you don’t even remember it’s there until it starts to stink. Sin doesn’t stay hidden forever either.”

Lara frowned. “Some of my sins feel like ‘big’ sins, but some feel so small that I forget about them.”

Dad smiled. “Here’s one problem with that. The sins don’t go away when we ignore them. And we still experience the consequences.”

“You’re right,” Lara admitted. Her book report had still received a lower grade. And her stomach had hurt all day from the candy she ate in place of lunch.

Lara asked God for forgiveness for how she’d acted—and she felt so relieved. Owning mistakes is like taking a wonderful, warm bath in God’s love. God’s mercy, love and forgiveness clean the guilt from your conscience and put peace in your heart.

More to Explore: “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love.” (Nehemiah 9:17 NLT)

Connecting to God: “Dear God, I’ve done something wrong, and I want to confess it to you. Please forgive me — and help me not to do it again.

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