I Must Confess

“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” – Proverbs 28:13

Confession is good for the soul. It appears in the bible, poetry, song lyrics and resonates in the minds of many of us when faced with deciding if we should speak out on a transgression we caused. Why is that? why do we find so much comfort in telling the truth? Sure it makes sense when the truth feels good, or works in our favor… but what about when it doesn’t? What about when it means losing? How can it still be good? Because of Guilt.

We’ve spent the last few weeks focusing on how to alleviate the burden of Guilt. Realizing that everyone makes mistakes. Taking comfort in Grace. Recognizing when we fall short. But there’s one thing that’s bigger than all of those and it’s what activates our ability to move forward like no other. Confession. When we confess what we’ve done wrong to whoever needs to hear it, we are relieved of the burden of secrecy. We no longer have to hide the truth. And the truth is what makes us free. I’ve become a little obsessed with Alexander Hamilton since the release of the filmed stage play Hamilton (Thanks Disney!) and his story. He had a way with words and he never shied away using them. One thing he chose to do in particular with his words was to confess to an affair. Now granted, there were several different ways he could have handled his confession other than making a publication out of it, but he was compelled to confess in order to clear his name. It cost him the opportunity to run for President, a huge sacrifice, but he was able to live with himself because he didn’t try to keep the secret any longer.

Secrets are actually an antagonist to Guilt. While confessing would free us of the burden, keeping the “crime” a secret can alleviate us of responsibility. And its human nature to want things to be easier. I absolutely know and have been victim of that. If we can keep it a secret and spare everyone involved a little more pain, then we absolutely jump at that chance. But while that might feel good for the moment, and in the public eye, secrets eat away at our morality and our conscience. Secrets keep us awake at night. Why? Because instead of being free to move through life and make our next mistake, we’re stuck trying to cover up the last one. We’re stuck protecting the thing that is silently killing us, when we actually don’t know if the confession will mean more hurt or not. That’s right. We keep secrets out of fear of the unknown as well. Secrets mean dealing with what we see. Keeping secrets keeps us in control. But is it worth it?

What do I mean when I ask you that? I mean, is it worth it to be in control when all we really control is how much suffering we cause ourselves. The bible tells us “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) It tells us right there that we cannot prosper by trying to hide our wrongs, but if we confess them we can find mercy. Simply put, people cannot forgive what they don’t know. How can you access mercy from someone if they don’t know they can give it to you? How can two people move forward when one is in misery and the other in the dark about a secret? They can’t.

So take heed: Confession absolves guilt because it activates forgiveness. Even if the forgiveness doesn’t come directly from the person you’ve offended, you can forgive yourself, God can forgive you, and you can move forward without the burden of a secret eating away at you. Activate your guilt free live by confessing and relieving Guilt of it’s duty.