The girl knelt in the confessional and said, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”
“What is it, child?” the priest replied.
“Father, I have commited the sin of vanity. Twice a day I gaze at myself in the mirror and tell myself how beautiful I am.”
The priest turned, took a good look at the girl, and said, “My dear, I have good news. That isn’t a sin – it’s only a mistake.”
Vanity certainly is a sin. We have very little to do with our outward appearance. If we’re well endowed, we ought to be grateful to God for this blessing. But if I take responsibility for the good in my life, I also must take responsibility for the bad in my life. Its better to just ourselves as a vessel God has chosen to use and not be concerned, positive or negative, with the outward shell. Paul said, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Tags: confession, humility, mistake, sin, vanity
In 1980, Lee Atwater, a political campaign manager for Ronald Reagan, inflicted terrible pain with his words. His staff learned that an opposing congressional candidate from South Carolina, Tom Turnipseed, had once experienced severe depression and undergone electric shock therapy. When Atwater released the information to the press, it humiliated the candidate and cast doubt on his ability. In anguish, the man questioned Atwater’s campaign ethics. Atwater responded by saying that he had no intention of responding to a man “hooked up to a jumper cable.”
Ten years later, Atwater was afflicted with an incurable brain tumor. He was confined to bed, attached to machines and tubes and wires. Before he died, he a wrote the candidate a letter and asked to be forgiven. He saw how cruel and heartless his words had been.
In part, Atwater wrote: “My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The ’80s were about acquiring — acquiring wealth, power, prestige. I know. I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn’t I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn’t I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don’t know who will lead us through the ’90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul.”
In truth, you and I are the only ones who can make that change within us. Let’s do it.
Tags: confession, foregiveness, politics
Another story is told of a priest who had a very unusual experience in a confession. A man confessed that he had been stealing lumber and supplies from the supply company where he worked.
He confessed, “I’ve built a home for myself and two more for my family including a lake house.”
The priest said, “This is quite serious and I must think of an appropriate means of penance and a path to restoration. You must remove yourself from the routine of life for a season. Have you ever done a retreat?”
The man shot back, “No, Sir, but if you can get the blueprints, I can get the lumber.”
This shows that confession in itself doesn’t change the soul. Repentence is also a part of the formula. If the goal is to be free of the guilt, we also must be free of the sin.
Tags: confession, humor
The story is told of a 12-year old boy who accidentally killed one of his family’s geese by throwing a stone. Figuring his parents wouldn’t notice that one of the 24 birds was missing, he buried it.
But his sister called him aside and said, “I saw what you did. If you don’t offer to do the dishes tonight, I’ll tell Mother.” The frightened boy felt bound to do the dishes. Later, he surprised his sister by telling her it was her turn.
When she quietly reminded him of what she could do, he replied, “I’ve already told Mother, and she has forgiven me. Now you do the dishes. I’m free again!”
Confessing our Sin to God has the ability to set us free again. Neither Satan nor any person can hold us in bondage when we’ve been released from our debt by God. Let the devil do his own dishes!
Tags: blackmail, confession, forgiveness
In 1884 Grover Cleveland ran against James G. Blaine for the presidency of the U.S. Blaine supporters discovered that Cleveland, who was a bachelor at the time, had fathered a son by Mrs. Maria Crofts Halpin, an attractive widow who had been on friendly terms with several politicians.
Subsequently, Republicans tried to pin an immorality tag on Democrat Cleveland by distributing handbills showing an infant labeled “One more vote for Cleveland” and by having paraders chant, “Ma, Ma, where’s my pa? Gone to the White House, Ha Ha Ha!” The move, however, backfired badly. Rather than deny the story, Cleveland decided to tell the truth and admit the intimacy. This candor helped defuse the issue, and Cleveland was elected president.
When we come clean on an issue, it tends to make people (as well as God) trust us. Confession is good for the soul and politics.
Tags: confession, history, politics
Joe sat at his dying wife’s bedside. Her voice was little more than a whisper. “Joe, darling,” she breathed, “I’ve got a confession to make before I go. I’m the one who took the ten thousand dollars from your safe and spent it on a fling with your best friend, Charles. And it was I who forced your mistress to leave the city. And I am the one who reported your income tax evasion to the government.”
“That’s all right, don’t give it a second thought,” answered Joe, “I’m the one who poisoned you.”
Unforgiveness never gives up. It is destructive and is persistent. And it leads to death. As Mark Gungor advises, sometimes we’ve got to hit the ‘Reset’ button and start over.
Tags: Add new tag, confession, forgiveness, humor