Dealing with the Problem (Friday Devotional)

 

No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

- Proverbs 28:13

When the church offices received new carpet and a fresh coat of paint a few months ago, I was quick to move all my things back in as quickly as possible. My bookshelves were filled immediately, my desk was put in place, and my other furniture was returned to where it all belonged. After several weeks out of pocket, I wasted no time putting everything back in place.

Well, almost everything. Week after week, my walls have remained bare as I have failed to hang up the decorations that will go there. For a while my excuse was not having the right tools to do so. Then I blamed decision paralysis—which pictures should go on which walls? And lately my excuse has been busyness, a refusal to devote 30 minutes to this task when more pressing matters demanded my attention.

The result is an unsightly pile of bulletin boards, photos, and artwork in the corner of my office that is now starting to gather dust while I neglect to do anything about it. As long as I ignore the problem and find excuses not to deal with it, nothing changes.

We often handle sin the same way I’m handling that pile—we prefer to avoid its reality rather than addressing it; we would rather change the subject than change the situation. So long as we busy ourselves with other things and willfully ignore it, we can convince ourselves that it’s not a problem.

But just like that pile in my office, sin remains present and problematic until it is dealt with. Scripture’s solution is simple: repentance. Because of Christ’s atoning death on the cross, if we will confess our sins before God and turn from wickedness, He will forgive our sins. The Lord is both just and merciful; He cannot ignore sin but He also does not ignore repentance. If you turn from your transgressions, God promises to cleanse you from your unrighteousness.

But first comes the willingness to deal with sin instead of hiding it. The world’s solutions to sin range from rationalization to distraction to moral relativism, anything that will allow you to avoid the painful reality of sin’s prevalence and power. But if you want anything to change, don’t expect it to happen through avoidance. The blank walls in my office tell the stark truth: the problem won’t go away until you address it.